


When We Were Young

by ComicKid99



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU, Awkwardness, Comedy, Crushes, F/M, Fancying your best friend and both loving and hating it, FitzSimmons - Freeform, Fluff, HuntingBird, Mutual Attraction, Romance, Roommates, Science Babies, Sexual Tension, We all know it will work out, static quake - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-05-15 20:59:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5799955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComicKid99/pseuds/ComicKid99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons have been best friends for over a decade. They've grown up together, work together and live together. Over the years they've had many crushes on each other, but their latest ones just won't go away. Awkwardness, hilarity and romance ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This Is Getting Out Of Hand

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know, ANOTHER Fitzsimmons AU. I'm having major writer's block and I hope this will help me power through it. Enjoy!

_**"You still look like a movie** _

_**You still sound like a song** _

_**My god, this reminds me** _

_**Of when we were young."** _

 

"Fitz, did you get more milk?"

The question hit Leo Fitz the second he opened the apartment door, two bags of shopping on each arm. He struggled to shuffle inside while simultaneously holding the door open and trying not to drop the precious goods he was carrying.

"Yep." He replied before unloading the bags onto the kitchen table and closing the door with his reddened hand, still stinging from the plastic handles pinching into his skin from the weight of the shopping.

"Oh, excellent; I forgot to put it on the list." Jemma Simmons smiled softly as she sat on the couch watching the evening news.

"You could've sent me a text." Fitz said as he began unpacking the groceries.

"I did, and your phone immediately went off on the kitchen side over there, where you left it." Jemma said, pointing to the exact spot where Fitz's phone was lying next to the kettle.

"Oh." Fitz whispered.

"And did they have the Slimfast milkshakes?" Jemma asked.

"Yep."

"The low fat yoghurts?"

"Yep."

"The low calorie jelly pots?"

"Yep."

"The Weight Watchers ready meals?"

"Yep, all five hundred billion of them."

"Don't be sarcastic. Oh, and you got those little drinks that help digestion? I underlined them to indicate their importance."

"Yep, I got it all. And I got you a box of those cookies you like." Fitz said.

Jemma stood up from the sofa and glared at Fitz intently.

"Fitz! Why on Earth would you do something so horrible? You're my best friend in the world!"

"Yeah, and I bought you some cookies. You're welcome!?" Fitz exclaimed, confused by Jemma's reaction.

"I asked you to get all of this healthy stuff for me and you thought it was a good idea to get me the nicest tasting cookies of all time?!" Jemma said.

"Yeah! They can be a treat or something." Fitz said.

"No they can't! We both know I'll guzzle down the whole box tonight then go out and buy some more! You know I can't resist them, Fitz! Just knowing they're in that cupboard calling my name…it's torture, Fitz, torture!" Jemma protested.

"Fine! I'll eat them, then." Fitz sighed.

"Well, you can't do that! That's an even worse form of torture; watching you absorbing my favourite snack without taking your time to appreciate the delicacy of what it is you're shovelling down your neck!" Jemma said.

"Bloody hell, I can't win! They're bloody cookies, Jemma. How about I just hide them, then? And if you ever feel like having a treat, I'll go and get them. Okay?" Fitz suggested. Jemma took a moment to consider.

"Fine."

"Bloody cookies…" Fitz moaned under his breath as he finished unpacking everything.

"…I hope you bought the right stuff." Jemma added.

"Jesus Christ, Jem!" Fitz shouted.

"What?" Jemma asked, taken back by Fitz's outburst.

"I followed your _six page long_ shopping list perfectly; it's all there and accounted for, just like you asked. You want to be healthier but instead of coming with me for a healthy walk to buy things _for you_ , you choose to stay at home watching TV! It's not those bloody cookies I can smell anymore – it's the irony!"

"…My diet doesn't start until tomorrow. Besides, you can drive and I can't and there wouldn't have been room for everything in the car if I went too." Jemma justified.

"Fine, but the thing is, and I'm saying this for at least the twentieth time, you don't need to go on a diet! You're at the ideal weight for your age and lifestyle!" Fitz said.

"Yes I do!" Jemma argued.

"No you don't!" Fitz argued back as he put the kettle on.

_You're perfect just the way you are! You're the most bloody perfect and beautiful woman I've ever met and ever will._

Seriously, this little crush of his was getting out of hand.

There had been times in the past when Fitz had found himself crushing (and crushing _hard_ ) on his roommate and best friend of over a decade, but those feelings of attraction and longing seemed to fade after a few weeks.

This time, it had been _months_ with no signs of stopping. Something was wrong, and Fitz didn't like it one bit. He was an awkward enough person as it was, but if Jemma knew about the way he'd been thinking about her recently…well, he'd probably have to stay at least fifty feet away from her by law for the rest of his life.

"YES I DO!" Jemma shouted again. Fitz rolled his eyes as he made them both a cup of tea. Jemma sat back down on the sofa and tried to focus on the TV, but her eyes kept being drawn back to the Scottish nuisance in the corner of the kitchen area.

That irritating, infuriating, smart, honest, sweet, lovely, handsome man.

_I'm only going on a bloody diet so you'll recognise that I am, in fact, a female!_

Seriously, this little crush of hers was getting out of hand.

There had been times in the past where she'd definitely found herself attracted to her best friend, like the time he was her plus one to a family wedding and looked _very_ good in that suit he wore. Other times she thought he was the sweetest man alive, and he probably was.

She'd had brief crushes on him over the years, but this one didn't seem to want to budge. It had been _months_ now since she spent that sleepless night thinking about whether or not _he_ was thinking about _her_.

Of course, he never seemed to notice her like that. Why would he? He's clearly the sane one; he doesn't have a crush on his best friend! He doesn't let his mind wander at work and pictures scenarios where –

-ANYWAY, there were also times when he drove her crazy, but in a way a family member does. You'd want to kill them but you still love them anyway, like an instinct. It was the same with Fitz. Sometimes she'd want to smack him as hard as she could, but then he'd look at her like that and…she was probably making all this up in her head anyway. He probably looks at everyone like that, right?

She'd decided to clear things up once and for all; go on a diet and see how he reacts to a healthier, skinnier Jemma Simmons. If he wasn't interested in Jemma Simmons in her prime, he never would be. Either way, it would give her closure on this ridiculous crush of hers.

"You don't, Jem." Fitz retaliated, bringing over the two cups of tea and handing one to Jemma as he sat next to her on the couch.

"…Sorry." Jemma said eventually, smiling at Fitz.

"It's okay. I'm sorry too." Fitz said.

"Thank you for going out and getting everything for me."

"You're welcome."

...

"Right then, this is it," Jemma proclaimed the next morning as she strolled out of her bedroom while Fitz sat on a stool at the kitchen table gobbling on a slice of toast, "a new and improved Jemma Simmons."

"I don't get why you're starting this now; we're two weeks into the New Year. Everyone's already given up on their New Year's Resolutions." Fitz noted.

"Exactly; people make resolutions during a holiday where they have temptation from leftover Christmas food and alcohol and all sorts. The key is to wait until you're back in the swing of things to start with your resolution." Jemma explained.

"Whatever you say." Fitz chuckled.

"Hush you; your resolution last year was to get up earlier on weekends so you didn't waste your days off. What time did you get up on the first Saturday of the year?" Jemma asked with a smirk. Fitz looked down at the floor.

"Can't remember."

"Fitz!"

"…Half three, okay!"

"You'd barely been up an hour and it had started getting dark outside – what a waste of a day!" Jemma said.

"Don't judge me about lifestyle choices when your breakfast this morning will have the same effect on your taste buds as eating a cowpat." Fitz said.

"Don't knock it till you try it, Fitz."

"I won't be trying it. Ever. The only way I'd eat or drink any of that dieting stuff would be if _Doctor Who_ was cancelled if I didn't." Fitz stated.

"What about if someone you cared about was being dangled over a cliff by a gang lord? Like your mum? O-Or…or me?" Jemma asked timidly.

Fitz froze for a moment, looking right at her.

"Oh, w-well, o-of course I would. To save _you_ , yeah. Without hesitation." Fitz mumbled.

Jemma hoped she was far enough away from him on the other side of the apartment for him to not see how red her cheeks had gone.

"Don't get kidnapped by a gang lord anytime soon, though." Fitz grinned.

"I'll try my best." Jemma smiled, heading over to the kitchen and reaching for a rectangular cereal box on the top shelf of the cupboard. Getting out a bowl and spoon, she tore open the top of the box and began pouring a small portion of the contents, Fitz watching intently as the little flakes fell from the box into the bowl.

"What the hell?" Fitz asked, bewildered and sickened.

"It's just some muesli, Fitz. A nice healthy breakfast." Jemma said.

"I can think of a word for it but it ain't 'healthy'."

"Could you at least _pretend_ to be supportive?"

"Muesli. Sounds like a disease. I'm sorry; you've been diagnosed with a case of the muesli." Fitz chuckled in a way so adorable that even Jemma couldn't stop herself from smiling.

_Darn that cute little smile he does when he finds himself funny!_

"You're not funny."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Shut up."

...

After a long and stressful day of work at SciOps, Fitz was relieved to get back to the apartment. Jemma had finished a few hours earlier than him (he'd had to attend a meeting), so he was interested in knowing how her first day of a healthier lifestyle was going.

As he walked up the steps of the apartment building, he smiled to himself as he pictured the possible scenarios he could walk in on. She could be being sick following a disgustingly healthy meal, or perhaps in a heap on the floor after a session of yoga. Maybe she could be in the middle of a workout?

Fitz stopped.

_Oh no. She could be in the middle of a workout._

Jemma had an outfit she used specifically for working out in. Since it was rarely used she hadn't needed to buy a new one for years. There were no words to fully describe how she looked in it. She always tied her hair up in a neat ponytail while a low-cut pink vest and chalk blue shorts made her infuriatingly attractive.

Fitz remembered the last time he'd walked in or her during a rare walkout. It was during one of his many crushes on her, and he'd needed a very long and very cold shower afterwards.

He could hide the workings of his heart, but not…other parts.

Fitz kept walking and nervously approached the door as he fumbled getting his key out, taking a deep breath and honestly not knowing if the sight of Jemma working out would be a good or bad thing after such a long day. Either way, it was him, so it would be awkward nonetheless.

_I could just wait outside for…ever._

Slowly opening the door, Fitz saw Jemma setting up plates on the kitchen table. Fitz smiled in relief (or was it disappointment?) as he wandered in.

"Ah, look who's back! How was the meeting?" Jemma asked, still busy plating up some food.

"Boring as ever. Coulson does bloody go on a bit." Fitz moaned as he put his bag down and took off his coat.

"How's his hand doing?" Jemma asked, smiling as she remembered the incident when Coulson, Fitz's boss, fractured his hand after coming off his bike.

"It's healing pretty well now. He still takes the bus to work, though." Fitz chuckled as he walked into the kitchen area and watched Jemma flawlessly plate up some food. On his side (he always sat on the side of the table closest to the door) was a plate with a juicy steak and perfectly cooked chips on the side on it.

"Smells amazing, thank you." Fitz smiled as he took a seat.

"You're very welcome. I thought you could use a steak after such a long day. Whereas I have this…" Jemma said, sitting down and gesturing towards her plate. Fitz took a glance and couldn't fathom what on Earth was on it.

"And what is… _that_?"

"Sliced beetroot with a sprinkle of goat's cheese."

"Sprinkle is a generous word to use; that's a crumb." Fitz smiled.

"It's a controlled diet plan, Fitz. This will benefit me and my body so I will endure it. I like beetroot, anyway." Jemma said.

"Give it a few minutes." Fitz smirked, cutting into his steak and being delighted at the slight pink of the inside of it (just the way he liked it).

"Be quiet, you." Jemma grinned.

She couldn't get annoyed at his teasing no matter how hard she tried.

"How was your first day as a healthier woman, anyway?" Fitz asked.

"Mixed, if I'm honest. I'm already craving those cookies. And chocolate. And literally everything unhealthy I've ever had." Jemma revealed.

"I wouldn't blame you if you just packed it in."

"After one day? No, not this time. This is it. I just need to get over this stage; the first few weeks are the hardest. It's a readjustment, that's all. All I need to do is find a way to distract myself, find something else to enjoy and get excited about other than junk food." Jemma said, determined.

"Yeah, a healthy pleasure to keep you busy." Fitz agreed.

"Exactly. Don't know what yet, though. What do you think? Can you think of a way I can find some pleasure?"

Fitz choked on his food as Jemma realised the connotations of her last question.

"No, no! I didn't mean, I -"

"-I know, I know. Sorry." Fitz said.

"I mean, you know, I'm single, so…that rules that out. I mean, I don't see that being an option…in the near future." Jemma said, unable to look Fitz in the eye.

"Right." Fitz whispered.

Silence.

_Bloody hell, why did I say that?!_

_Bloody hell, why did she have to say that?!_

"Sorry. Let's change the subject and very quickly." Jemma blushed.

_Though if you did volunteer for that kind of pleasure…control yourself, Jemma!_

"Right. Okay. Um…so what else have you been doing today? Diet stuff, I mean." Fitz said.

"…Well, um…I went for a run earlier."

"Good."

"And I did a bit of yoga."

"Great."

"And I'm going to do a workout after I let this digest."

"Sounds like a good idea-a w-workout?" Fitz asked.

"Yeah. I have a DVD somewhere." Jemma replied.

"…Right. Good for you. Doing workouts. Lovely."

"…Are you okay? You've gone a bit pale." Jemma wondered, concerned.

"I'm fine. Just a long, long day."

"I see. Do you want to take anything for it? A tablet or something?"

"I don't see how an iPad will help here, Jemma." Fitz grinned.

"Oh dear; Fitz family humour is truly appalling, isn't it?" Jemma laughed.

"If my mum was here, there'd be tears right now. _Tears_."

...

The washing up was done and Fitz was busy typing away email after email on his laptop, a _Doctor Who_ DVD on as relaxing background noise. Jemma suddenly stepped out of her room and inspected the TV.

"Do you mind if I switch this over?" Jemma asked. Fitz sat up straight, appalled.

"I know, I know, I normally wouldn't turn over such a glorious show, but you're busy and I'm in the mood to do a workout." Jemma added.

"Oh. You're gonna work out. Now." Fitz said shyly.

"Uh, yeah. If that's alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Uh, yeah. I'll just, uh…you know what? I'll get out of your way. I'll do this in my room." Fitz said, picking his laptop off of his lap and turning towards his room.

"That's okay, Fitz, you don't take up any room, I can just-"

"-No, no, it's fine. Uh…yeah." Fitz mumbled, rushing into his room and quickly closing his door behind him.

Jemma stared at Fitz's room door for a moment, pure confusion written over her face.

_What was that about? I was hoping he'd stick around to see this._

Jemma sighed as she headed back into her room to get changed.

_This whole crush thing is a nightmare._

Fitz couldn't focus on his email as he heard Jemma's room door close, knowing what she was getting changed into.

_This whole crush thing is a nightmare._


	2. Turned On By The Village People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you're enjoying the lightheartedness of this story; I intend to keep that up! Here's a little more to enjoy!

Fitz sat on the couch replying to yet another email from Coulson agreeing to yet another meeting and he wanted to die. Meetings with Coulson were the absolute worst.

Plus, Jemma was currently in the shower and he didn't want to think too much about how his gorgeous best friend was naked in the very next room as there would be no recovery. It was at times like these Fitz wished the rumours someone started in college about him being asexual were true.

Still, it was two weeks into Jemma's unnecessary diet and he'd managed to successfully keep away from her workout sessions and avoid any situations that could have become extremely awkward.

Then there was a loud thud and a cry of "ow!" from the bathroom. Fitz threw his laptop to his side, leaped from his chair and rushed to the bathroom door, quickly knocking on it.

"Jemma? Jem, are you okay?!"

"…Fitz…"

"Jemma? What's wrong?"

"FITZ! I need help!"

"Okay!"

"…Get in here!"

"…But, you're…you're…"

"Fitz, please. I'm hurt. It's not locked." Jemma groaned.

Tentatively, Fitz opened the bathroom door as steam fogged up his vision momentarily. Suddenly, the inner workings of the room became clearer and he could make out the sight of Jemma sat at the bottom of the tub, arms folded and legs crossed to cover the more delicate parts of the female anatomy. She was wincing in pain, her eyes closed and breathing quick.

Fitz took a quick glance at Jemma then looked away from her before he saw anything. This was NOT the time.

_I pictured this happening very differently._

"Y-You alright?" Fitz asked, still facing away from Jemma.

"The water went freezing cold again. It made me jump and I slipped and twisted my ankle." Jemma explained, still wincing.

"Oh. Ow." Fitz said awkwardly.

"As much as I appreciate your sympathy," Jemma said sarcastically, "I need you to help me out."

"…Really?"

"Well, yes! It hurts if I stand!" Jemma exclaimed, trying desperately to hide her absolute embarrassment.

_This was NOT how I wanted him to see me like this for the first time._

"But, um, but you're…unclothed." Fitz mumbled, cheeks going red (he could blame it on the steam from earlier if he had to).

"Give me a towel I can wrap around myself then you can… _lift me out_." Jemma said, her face growing red too.

"…Uh, oh, okay. What colour do you want?"

"FITZ."

"Sorry. Green will do." Fitz said, grabbing a large green towel from the cupboard and throwing it behind him.

"Fitz?"

"Yeah?"

"You completely missed." Jemma sighed.

Fitz turned around and saw he had indeed just thrown the towel to the other end of the room.

"Sorry, I just didn't want to… _see_ anything." Fitz said.

"…Am I that repulsive?" Jemma questioned, partly as a joke and partly offended.

"No, no! I mean, no! I'm sure you have lovely…um…never mind." Fitz said, grabbing the towel and squinting as he face Jemma, quickly handing her the towel and covering his eyes as she wrapped and tied it around herself.

"Okay, can you help me out? This water's absolutely freezing." Jemma asked, holding out her arms for Fitz to lift her.

_Please don't get excited, PLEASE don't get excited!_

Fitz delicately scooped Jemma up in his arms, being _very_ careful about where he put his hands (it was a long towel, but not long enough to guarantee there could be no… _incidents_ ). Jemma wrapped her arms around Fitz's neck as he carried her out of the bathroom.

_Wow, he's really strong. What happened to the sweet but scrawny Fitz I first met?_

_She's light as a feather. 'Needs to go on a diet' my arse._

Moving to the couch in the living room, Fitz gently put Jemma down.

"Okay? Can I get you anything?" Fitz asked.

"Uh, just an ice pack for my ankle. Thank you for helping me." Jemma smiled gently.

"No problem. Sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I just need to rest it up." Jemma said. Fitz nodded and headed to the freezer with a smile. Jemma watched him go.

_He's so sweet. Dammit._

…

"No Daisy, it's fine. No, I don't need to go to the hospital. Yes, I need to buy better adhesive stickers. You're sounding far too much like Sheldon Cooper, stop it. Yes, Fitz is looking after me just fine. Yes, he is lovely…anyway, I'll still be at work tomorrow. See you then. Bye." Jemma chuckled as she hung up her phone, still lying on the couch with an ice pack around her ankle.

Fitz had cooked for her and been a personal slave for the past few hours (nothing changes), making Jemma appreciate him even more. He really was a pretty amazing man (and she knew that was an understatement).

"This healthy lifestyle thing's really working out for you, huh?" Fitz chuckled as he walked out of his room. Jemma turned to face him.

"Oh, shush, like you would ev-"

Jemma's words faded the moment she saw Fitz had gotten changed. He was now in a _tight_ white vest with what looked like oil stains on some spots, scruffy blue jeans and a utility belt loosely around his waist.

Jemma decided instantly that Fitz should never wear anything else ever because… _wow_. He looked _good_. He looked _hot_.

_Where did those muscles come from?_

Jemma had to look away before she was caught staring, but it wasn't long before she took another look. Then another. And another. She had to know what this was about.

"W-What, um, what's that you've got on?"

"Oh, it's um…it's my DIY-slash-handyman clothes. Just so my regular stuff doesn't get wet or dirty. It's leftovers from that Halloween a few years back when we all went as the Village People, remember? I don't think the helmet and shades are necessary right now." Fitz explained with a chuckle.

Jemma remembered, but she didn't remember him looking like _that_. This was a mental image she was not going to forget anytime soon.

"Uh…yeah, yeah. Suits you." Jemma mumbled.

"Looks good, right?" Fitz said in a tone hinting at self-mockery. Jemma smiled.

_If only you knew what I'm picturing right now._

"I think it looks good on you." Jemma said shyly.

"Oh, really?" Fitz asked, shocked, impressed and flattered.

"Yeah." Jemma smiled.

_It would look even better on my bedroom floor. Torn into pieces._

Jemma started blushing so had to look away again.

"Well, I just thought I could take a look at the boiler, and I'd rather not drench my work clothes." Fitz said.

"Smart move." Jemma said, desperate to take another look at Fitz but completely unsure if she could contain herself if she did, twisted ankle be damned.

"If you need me, just shout." Fitz smiled, heading into the bathroom. Jemma took another quick peak as he left her line of sight.

_I do bloody need you. Not in the way you meant, though._

…

After about forty minutes, Fitz walked out of the bathroom rubbing his hair with a towel to dry it.

"Well that got a little soggy." He chuckled, making Jemma notice his presence. She turned around, caught a glimpse of his surprisingly buff physique through his wet vest and looked away again before he saw her blushing.

_I'll never be able to listen to "Y.M.C.A." again._

"How's your ankle doing?" Fitz asked, approaching Jemma on the couch and kneeling by her feet.

"Starting to feel a bit better now." Jemma smiled, her eyes fixated on Fitz's chest as he inspected her ankle.

"Yeah, looks like the swelling is going down a bit. Can I…?" Fitz asked for permission to touch her ankle, and Jemma gave it (luckily she'd stopped gawping at his body before he'd noticed).

She didn't expect the shiver that rushed up her body when his finger gently stroked her foot. She desperately held in whatever noise it would have been she'd have made, much to her relief, as Fitz continued rubbing her ankle lightly with his finger. Up and down, up and down.

_How is he doing this to me? Why am I so turned on by my best friend in a Village People costume?_

_My best friend. God forbid he ever found out I was thinking about him like this. Though if he keeps touching me like that I might just have to tear off that vest and –_

"Does this hurt?" Fitz asked, stopping Jemma's train of thought (which was probably for the best).

"Not really." Jemma answered.

"Well, that's good." Fitz said, standing up.

"What's wrong with the boiler then, Mr Engineer?" Jemma teased.

"Looks like a few of the valves are leaking. To be fair, that boiler's bloody ancient. And shut up." Fitz grinned and walked into his room to get changed as Jemma laughed. He looked back at her for a moment.

_Her skin's so soft. Bloody hell, what am I doing? SHE'S YOUR BEST FRIEND, FITZ, GET IT TOGETHER._

He sighed and continued into his room.

As the door closed, Jemma covered her face with her hands and shook her head, not quite believing she just got turned on by the Village People.

_This crush needs to go away, and fast!_


	3. Handsome Bundle Of Illness

"Jemmaaaaaaa…"

Jemma smiled as she walked into Fitz's room, where he was lying in bed looking more miserable than she had ever seen him. His nose was reddened, he was constantly sniffing and his bed covers were being held right up to his chin.

Fitz had never coped well with being sick, and this was no exception.

Jemma always teased him as his illness could be described as an 'extreme cold' and nothing more. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight of the helpless man in front of her, boxes of tissues stacked up on his bedside and discarded bowls of ice cream littered everywhere.

"Are you feeling any better?" Jemma asked. Fitz shook his head and pouted in a way that she absolutely shouldn't find adorable given his sickened state, but she did anyway.

"Nothing's bloody working!" Fitz groaned with a cough, reaching for another tissue and blowing his nose. Jemma kept staring at him.

_Maybe I could kiss it better? Kiss everywhere better…_

"How about some soup?" Jemma suggested. Fitz took a moment to think.

"…Tomato?"

Jemma nodded with a smile.

"…Yes please." Fitz sniffed, his voice deeper than usual due to his cold (which Jemma found especially and _ridiculously_ attractive).

"Just hang in there." Jemma smiled as she walked out. Fitz watched her go and smiled for the first time in days.

_That bloody smile._

He couldn't have asked for a sexier - um, _better_ \- nurse.

…

As Jemma waited for the soup to heat up, her thought (surprise, surprise) turned to Fitz; poor, sick Fitz. She was desperate to go back and check on him; she'd taken the day off work to look after him, and had spent nearly every minute at his bedside.

Considering she detested any kind of illness and would normally keep far away from anyone who was sick, this was majorly out of character for her to still be yearning to be close to Fitz. She didn't even mind getting ill herself if it meant she could be home with Fitz more, or even better Fitz would recover and look after _her_.

Honestly, this crush of hers was getting preposterous. It was _never_ this bad before. What the hell was going on?

It's not like she could even tell him; their friendship would be completely ruined. She'd had crushes on many guys in the past, but it had never been quite as intense as this was. Fitz had become her guilty pleasure, and she both loved and hated it.

But to still find a coughing, sneezing and spluttering man unbelievably attractive? Yikes. She could only hope it would pass again sooner rather than later; then she could start staying in the room when Fitz mentioned his Village People outfit instead of rushing off to scream into a pillow.

Her self-loathing was cut short when the pot of soup started to boil, meaning she could return to her handsome bundle of illness soon.

While Fitz waited for Jemma's return, he found himself thinking about her (as always) and how selfless she'd been to take the whole day off work to look after him. She really was a stunning person, inside and out.

And no one knew it better than Fitz and the crush that wouldn't go away.

_She's innocently making you soup in the other room and you're picturing all the ways you wish you could thank her for her help. Very explicit ways. You're not a teenager anymore, for crying out loud!_

_Still about as sexually active as you were then though, which really doesn't help the whole crush thing. I blame Jemma's parents for making such an attractive daughter._

Eventually, Jemma returned and Fitz's world grew a little brighter again as she gently rested the soup on his lap as he sat up.

"Thanks." Fitz smiled.

"Wow, cracking a smile! You must be on the mend." Jemma chuckled.

"Shush. I'm just being nice."

"Well if that's true we better take you to the hospital, this is serious." Jemma smirked.

"I'll pour this over you in a minute." Fitz smiled.

"You don't have the energy or the strength." Jemma retaliated.

"Normally I'd be strong enough." Fitz said.

"I know." Jemma said, looking down.

_I've been picturing many scenarios in my head about how strong you are._

"…Uh…thanks for, you know, looking after me today." Fitz said.

"No problem. You've done the same for me before, on many occasions." Jemma smiled.

"I have." Fitz nodded.

_And it was my bloody pleasure._

"Anything else I can get you?" Jemma asked.

_Another blanket? A DVD to put on? A back rub? A game of strip poker?_

"I think I'm okay, thank you. I don't want you to catch it. Imagine us two stuck in here together all day, miserable as anything." Fitz said. Jemma blushed.

_Believe me, I am. I can think of plenty of ways we could keep our spirits up._

"Yeah, it'd be terrible, wouldn't it?" Jemma said. Fitz nodded.

"Absolutely." Fitz stated.

_No it bloody wouldn't be! I can think of ways we'd pass the time._

Fitz took a sip of his soup as he tried to get those tainted thoughts of what he could get up to with his BEST FRIEND out of his head.

"How is it? Is it too hot?" Jemma asked.

"It's delicious." Fitz answered.

The two shared a smile.

…

That night, Jemma was lying in bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep. Because of Fitz, of course, but only because he couldn't stop coughing and sneezing. It always got worse at night.

She got out of bed, into her dressing gown and lightly knocked on the door of Fitz's room.

"Come in." Fitz coughed in a husky voice. Jemma walked in and smiled sympathetically.

"Sorry, I'm keeping you up, aren't it?" Fitz asked guiltily.

"It's alright, you can't help being ill." Jemma said, walking over to Fitz's bedside and placing her palm gently on his forehead. Fitz immediately crossed one leg over the other underneath the sheets.

_THIS is all it takes now? Seriously?_

"You _are_ very hot." Jemma said, hoping she wasn't blushing at her words. Fitz watched her as she ruffled through the drawer by the bed.

_God, I wish you were saying that in a remarkably different context._

"Maybe this will help soothe your chesty cough a little bit." Jemma said, pulling out a tub of Vaseline.

"Oh, I bloody love that stuff." Fitz said.

"Me too, it-"

"-smells _amazing_."

Jemma and Fitz shared a look.

"…Yeah." Jemma smiled. Fitz smiled back as Jemma took off the lid of the tub and, without thinking, scooped some of the gel up in her hand.

"Oh, it's alright; I can do it." Fitz protested.

"Sorry. I, uh, well, I've got some now, so…" Jemma said awkwardly.

Fitz's heart started beating incredibly quickly, as did Jemma's.

"…Um, okay." Fitz gulped.

"Where does it feel mucky?" Jemma asked.

"Oh, uh…mainly the top half; the middle bit under my neck, around here." Fitz said, indicating with his hand whereabouts he felt clogged up.

"Right, okay. Your, um…your…your shirt might get in the way and stick to it." Jemma said slowly.

"Oh. Should I, um…t-take it off?" Fitz asked, pretty sure his heart had now burst out of his ribcage and was rolling along the bedroom floor. Jemma was overcome with a rush of heat as her spare palm started getting sweaty.

"Um…y-yeah. Take it off." Jemma said softly, her eyes fixated on Fitz's.

_Or I could take it off for you. Or rip it off, whatever you'd prefer._

"…Okay." Fitz whispered.

He slowly sat up in his bed, coughing a little as he did so. He grabbed the collar with both his hands as he pulled the shirt over his head, starting to expose his bare chest.

_Don't look Jemma, don't look Jemma, don't look Jemma…_

Of course, she looked.

_Maybe we could fool around and I can convince him it was a dream brought about by his illness? Because…wow._

Jemma was more than impressed by her BEST FRIEND's physique, trying not to start dribbling as Fitz pulled the rest of his shirt over his shoulders and discarded it to the floor, unable to looks Jemma in the eyes as he sat there.

"Right. Might be a little cold." Jemma whispered.

_The exact bloody opposite of how I'd describe you right now._

"Okay." Fitz said, almost choking on the one word he'd said.

Jemma sat next to Fitz on the bed as she gently placed her hand on his chest, rubbing the Vaseline into his bare skin in a clockwise motion.

_Bloody hell, first the Village People and now Vaseline. This is bloody barbaric. Farcical. Annoyingly arousing._

As Jemma concentrated on Fitz's chest (her favourite activity of the day), Fitz's gaze was focused solely on the ceiling as he tried to block out the absolutely incredible feeling of Jemma Simmons caressing his bare chest.

_Dead puppies, grandma, dead puppies, grandma…_

After a few minutes (it felt like hours to the pair of them, which they both found positives and negatives in), Jemma removed her hand (extremely reluctantly) from Fitz's chest, returning the Vaseline to the drawer and standing up. Fitz was finally comfortable enough to regain eye contact as he pulled his duvet up.

"Hopefully that'll be better." Jemma said, only briefly looking at Fitz.

"…Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. If you need any more-"

"-I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Right. Good. Okay. Goodnight, Fitz."

"Goodnight, Jemma."

With that, Jemma gave a brief smile before briskly walking out of the room, closing the door and rushing into her bedroom.

Fitz fell back into bed and stared at the ceiling again, recalling what had just happened. A gorgeous woman had just spent a good two minutes rubbing his chest.

_Dead puppies, grandma, dead puppies, grandma…_

Jemma closed her bedroom door and immediately sunk down to the floor, putting her head in her hands before realising she'd just splattered the remaining Vaseline over her face. She moved over to the mirror and wiped it off with a flannel as she glared at her reflection in the mirror. This was getting worse and worse by the day.

_It can't keep going on like this._

Fitz remained still as he stared up at the ceiling.

_I have to do something about this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can there possibly be any more tension between them?!?
> 
> Just you wait... ;)


	4. When In Doubt, Stick On Coldplay

Jemma's alarm went off at 6.30am as always. She got up and dressed before heading into the living area of the apartment, where she was shocked to find Fitz was already up. He was lying across the couch typing away on his laptop, looking completely drained.

Of course, what Jemma noticed before anything else was that he was in a white t-shirt and boxers.

_Would it have killed you to put trousers on? This is NOT good for my health._

"Why are you up so early?" Jemma asked. Fitz slowly lifted his head to face her.

"What time is it?"

"6.45am."

"WHAT?!" Fitz asked, sitting up and checking his watch before letting out a big sigh.

"Have you been up all night?" Jemma asked, shocked.

"It would seem so. I thought it was 2am at the latest. Bloody hell." Fitz groaned, rubbing his eyes and moving his laptop away.

"Fitz, you look terrible."

"Do I look much better normally?" Fitz wondered. Jemma said nothing.

_My God, yes._

"Why were you up all night? And why don't you have trousers on?" Jemma asked (not that she was complaining too much).

"I got hot. And I was up all night because Lance can't do this bloody presentation for Mr Fury so asked me to do it. I said yes because I'm a lovely person and then I find that Lance's file was corrupted so I had to create a new presentation from scratch." Fitz explained sadly.

"Fitz, that's terrible. Couldn't Lance have just rescheduled?" Jemma asked.

"Probably, he's just too busy stalking Bobbi Morse wherever she goes." Fitz said.

"You're too nice." Jemma said, walking up behind Fitz and massaging his shoulders.

_This was a terrible idea. I'm not going to want to stop._

_Bloody hell, she gives amazing massages. Is there anything she can't do perfectly? This feels so good. Oh God, I wish I had trousers on._

Fitz grabbed his laptop and quickly placed it on his lap, shocking Jemma.

"Sorry, I have to finish this quick. Only two slides left." Fitz mumbled, trying to redirect his blood supply to his brain _very quickly_.

"Oh, okay. I don't think you're in any fit state to do a full day's work. You're still recovering from the flu." Jemma said, blushing as she remembered the Vaseline incident.

"I haven't got much of a choice. I'll do the presentation, play up my tiredness to Coulson then get sent home. He knows I work too bloody hard." Fitz said, trying not to think about the Vaseline incident Jemma has reminded him of.

_She's killing me._

"Okay, but promise me you'll sleep the second you get back. Relax and take a shower or something to soothe you." Jemma said.

"I promise, Queen of Fitness." Fitz smirked.

_She certainly is bloody fit, that's for sure._

"I'm hardly the Queen of Fitness, though I am sticking to my diet."

"You mean the diet you don't need to go on?"

"Shut up, Fitz. I'm heading out for a run soon; give you some more alone time to finish that up." Jemma said.

"Much appreciated. Do you want a lift to work?" Fitz asked.

"No thanks, my running route ends there; I'll carry a change of clothes in a backpack." Jemma explained.

"Okay, no problem." Fitz yawned. Jemma watched her hard working friend for a little longer, admiring how quick he was with his fingers as he typed.

_Jemma Simmons, you stop that!_

He did work way too hard, though; he deserved double the salary he got. If he wasn't covering for Lance, he'd be covering for Mack or Daisy as well as doing his designated work.

"Anyway, I better get changed." Jemma said, returning to her room. As she shut the door, Fitz put his head in his hands.

_She's putting on that bloody outfit! Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't – too late._

…

Following the presentation, sucking up to Coulson worked perfectly and Fitz was allowed to go home. It had gone surprisingly well considering Fitz barely knew what he was talking about, and Mr Fury seemed impressed. Praise the Lord.

Jemma wouldn't finish for another three or four hours, giving him plenty of alone time to relax. It had been an exhausting few weeks of not getting enough sleep, but Fitz only wished Jemma knew she was the biggest problem; he was up most nights thinking about her.

He'd been sick in the past and she'd taken care of him then, but that last time a week ago…she'd barely left his side. Something was off.

_And when she rubbed the Vaseline on my chest…maybe I'm just imagining it. Dreaming more like._

He managed to get a good two and a half hours sleep, but his crush was on his mind too much to get any more. A piping hot shower might just do the trick. He needed as much distraction as he could; being ridiculously attracted to your best friend was exhausting work.

He put on some of his favourite music on the stereo in the living room at a loud volume before heading into the bathroom, discarding his clothes and stepping into a nice hot shower.

Ten minutes later, Jemma returned.

…

Being greeted by overly loud music as she walked into the apartment was something Jemma had grown used to over the years. Fitz often found it easier to fall asleep listening to his favourite songs. His motto was 'When in doubt, stick on Coldplay'.

_At least he's getting some sleep. Maybe I could climb in next to him and –_

_-Snap out of it! This is getting tedious. I thought crushes were meant to be somewhat enjoyable experiences? It's getting to be more guilty than pleasure._

She had to take her mind off things. She was still pretty sweaty from her run that morning and needed time to think for herself. A shower would do very nicely.

Jemma threw her backpack onto the floor and quietly rushed into her room to fetch some clean clothes (she didn't want to wake Fitz up, after all). She wanted to look nice for Fitz for when he got up. Not that he'd notice.

She walked out of her room towards the bathroom, humming to herself. As she reached the door, she turned the handle and stepped inside.

_Why is it already steamy in here?_

"JEMMA!?!"

"OH MY GOD, FITZ! I'M SORRY!"

"BLOODY HELL, DON'T YOU KNOCK?"

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE, S-SORRY, I -"

"JESUS CHRIST!"

…

Jemma sat in silence for nearly an hour in the living area. Fitz still hadn't mustered the courage to come out of the bathroom following the ridiculously awkward encounter. Neither of them had ever been so embarrassed in their lives, and _that_ was saying something.

It wasn't like Jemma had seen - _the crown jewels_ \- just the velvet pillow they would sit upon.

And it really didn't help with the whole crush thing, because what little she did see, she _liked_.

_I used to be so innocent. Those were the days._

Eventually, the bathroom door slowly opened and Fitz slowly stepped out, a towel around his waist and a second around his neck. He clearly hadn't been expecting Jemma back so didn't bring a change of clothes in with him.

Silence.

"Fitz, I-"

"-I, uh, I'm gonna get dressed."

"…Oh, okay."

Saying nothing more, Fitz gave a short smile before practically running into his room. Jemma sighed, putting her head in her hands.

_This would be awkward enough anyway, but…if only he knew. Though that would only make this worse now._

As Fitz got dressed, he had no idea what he was going to say to ease the awkwardness between him and Jemma. Imagine if she knew about his crush? Could this get any worse?

_And how much did she see? Bloody hell._

He finished getting dressed and stepped back out into the living area. Jemma was in the kitchen, smiling as he came into view.

"Hi." She said timidly.

"Hey."

"Cup of tea?"

"Yes please."

Silence again as Fitz sat down and Jemma made a mug of tea for each of them. She brought them over and handed it to Fitz as she sat down next to him. They both tried to think of something to say but to no avail, until eventually they made an attempt to lower the tension.

"So, I-" – "Listen, I-"

They both looked at each other for a moment then chuckled to themselves.

"I'm sorry. I thought the music was for you to get to sleep and I wanted to shower so I-"

"-I-It's fine, Jemma. No harm done. I hope. Depends how much you saw." Fitz blushed.

"No, no, I didn't…I didn't see anything." Jemma said.

_If only._

"Oh, good." Fitz sighed with relief.

"…It could only happen to us, couldn't it?" Jemma smiled.

"Yeah." Fitz nodded.

"…How about we have a movie night? We've both had a stressful day; it might be nice to take our minds off of everything." Jemma suggested, hopeful that they were moving past the awkwardness.

"Yeah, Great idea. What do you want to watch?" Fitz asked.

"You choose."

"No, I always choose. Today the honour is yours; whatever you want." Fitz said, smiling at her in _that_ way that made her want to grab him and kiss him with no regrets.

_His eyes are so beautiful._

_She gets more attractive every time I look at her._

Realising they'd been staring at each other for a moment too long, they both sharply looked away as Fitz got up to get some popcorn from the cupboard. Jemma watched him go and sighed.

They'd managed to move past an awkward moment remarkably quickly, especially since it was quite the personal encounter. Maybe it just wasn't that weird for them? Why would that be? Jemma sighed again.

_I don't think this crush is ever going away._

Needing to take her mind off of it, Jemma moved over to the DVD case and focused her attention on selecting a movie to watch with her best friend. Her BEST FRIEND. Nothing more. Absolutely not.

Fitz returned to the sofa, placing the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and watching Jemma make her selection with a smile.

…

Half an hour into the movie, Jemma and Fitz both reached for some popcorn, causing their hands to brush as they reached the bowl. They pulled away and laughed lightly.

"Sorry." – "My bad."

They looked at one another for a moment before Fitz gestured for her to take some popcorn first. She smiled, reaching into the bowl and hoping the shiver sent up her spine when he touched her wasn't too obvious.

Fitz watched her with utter awe like he always did, a serious look on his face.

_I don't think this crush is just a crush anymore._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And of course the Coldplay song was "The Scientist" ;)


	5. Thunder Happens When The Sky Is Hungry

Jemma thought things had gotten better.

After the dreaded shower incident, Jemma and Fitz both seemed to be getting along just fine; no awkward moments to be found.

But then –

"Right, I'm going for a quick shower before bed." Jemma said casually, getting up for the couch while Fitz remained frozen as he sat, his face bright red.

"Yeah, okay." He mumbled quickly, pretending to be distracted by _anything_ so ended up counting how many buttons were on the TV remote (he couldn't care less, but Jemma was looking at him and he _needed_ to be distracted from the thought of her in the shower).

Jemma soon realised what she'd said and since it had reminded her of what happened, surely Fitz had been reminded to. The minute she closed the bathroom door behind her she slid against the wall down to the floor with a huge, frustrated sigh.

A similar thing had happened again when Fitz had a shower the following morning, and every time one of them had come home from work just as the other had finished washing. It was an utter nightmare, and it wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

The worst part was, the alternative would be _not_ fancying their best friend, and neither of them were sure that's what they wanted anymore.

…

"Bloody hell." Fitz sighed as he turned on the morning news while Jemma made herself some toast.

"What is it?"

"They think there's gonna be a storm here tonight. High winds, heavy rain, thunder and lighting. The full shebang."

_Shebang? Why the hell did you say 'shebang'? You sound ridiculous!_

"Oh God, really?" Jemma asked anxiously.

_I'm terrified of storms._

Ever since she was little and a flash of lightning landed right next to her home, Jemma had been scared of any kind of storm. In the past she'd make up an excuse to go in her room so Fitz didn't know she was scared and wrap herself up in her bed covers, so at least she had a day at work to come up with an excuse for this time.

…

Fitz was typing up a lab report when Jemma returned from work, drenched from head to toe and dripping all over the tiled floor. His eyes widened at the sight of her, the rain causing her clothing to stick to her skin, showing off her figure and form. Fitz instantly thought of a million ways he'd like to help her get dry.

"I. HATE. RAIN." Jemma huffed as she threw her bags to the floor and took off her raincoat.

"Why didn't you call me? I'd have picked you up." Fitz said.

"I didn't want to bother you. Besides, I _had_ an umbrella." Jemma groaned.

"Had?"

"The wind took it a few blocks back, hence the fact that I look like a drowned rat. Don't laugh!" Jemma said, pointing at a smirking Fitz.

"Why would I do something so horrible?"

"Anyway, I better get out of these clothes." Jemma said. Fitz swallowed.

_I'll help you with that if you'd like. Wouldn't take long._

"According to the news, it's gonna get worse within the next few hours." Fitz explained.

"Marvellous." Jemma said, wringing her hair out on Fitz as she walked by, smiling back at him as she headed into her room. Fitz watched her go as he rubbed his dampened hair.

_She's bloody adorable._

It only took a few seconds more until Fitz realised Jemma was in her room stripping down to her underwear.

_Dead puppies, grandma, dead puppies, grandma…_

…

A while later, a dried Jemma emerged from her room and cooked some food for her and Fitz, which they enjoyed immensely before retreating to the couch and stuck on a film as background noise for them both working on their laptops.

Fitz noticed how quickly Jemma was typing in her concentrated state, so began exaggerating his typing until she picked up on what he was doing and playfully nudged him with her foot as she laid back into the couch. They shared a quick smile before returning to their work.

Then came the first crash of thunder and flash of lightning; a white light filled the apartment as Jemma jumped and nearly dropped her laptop while Fitz jumped up and rushed to the window to look outside.

"Bloody hell! That was close! Did you see that? It looks horrible out there. All those people running for shelter, bless 'em." Fitz chuckled, fascinated.

"Indeed." Jemma said softly, her hands shaking so much she couldn't type anymore. Work would have to wait until she calmed down.

Fitz returned to the couch and sat back down before another crash of thunder sounded again.

"They think this'll last all night." Fitz commented as he continued typing.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Worst storm in years, they reckon. Flooding and all sorts."

Jemma stayed silent as she watched Fitz concentrating on his work. After another crash of thunder and lightning strike nearly caused her to scream, she decided it was time to retreat before she embarrassed herself. It would hardly be attractive for her to be so easily scared by a natural event.

"I, um, I-I, I'll finish this in, uh, in my r-room." Jemma mumbled as she rose from the couch, laptop in hand.

"You can stay out here with me, it's alright. We do this all the time." Fitz said, not looking away from his keyboard.

_I want you to stay. Knowing where you are avoids any more shower incidents._

"No, no, I, um, I-I'll be better off a-alone, um, yeah."

Fitz looked up this time, and caught a glimpse of pure terror in Jemma's eyes as she turned and headed for her room.

"Jem?"

Jemma stopped.

"Yeah?"

"…Are you scared?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Jemma said and continued walking.

"Jemma."

Reluctantly, Jemma turned around and saw Fitz smiling at her gently, knowingly.

"…Please don't judge me." Jemma sighed.

"Jemma, loads of people are scared of storms. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know, but-"

"-But nothing. Could be worse; you know what I get like when I see a spider in the apartment." Fitz said and Jemma grinned.

"You do scream like a girl." Jemma chuckled.

"Exactly. Come on." Fitz said, getting up, taking Jemma's hand and leading her back to the couch before sitting her down.

"Let's forget work for now. We'll watch TV as best we can since the storm's mucking up the signal, and not worry about a bit of wind and water. Yeah?" Fitz suggested. Jemma looked into his pure blue eyes and melted.

"Yeah." She whispered.

Smiling, Jemma and Fitz sat back in the couch and focused on the TV, Jemma's hand still holding Fitz's gently, squeezing it whenever there was thunder or lightning.

"You know," Fitz said eventually, "my mum always said thunder happens when the sky is hungry. Like a stomach rumbling."

Jemma laughed at that in the way Fitz found ridiculously attractive.

"I love your mum." Jemma laughed.

"Me too. She's always coming out with crap like that." Fitz smiled.

"Thank you, Leo." Jemma whispered.

"Anytime."

…

An hour or so went by and it was starting to get cold in the apartment, but Jemma and Fitz were reluctant to leave the other's side to put the heating on. After a while thinking about doing it, Jemma shuffled closer and rested her head on Fitz's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his chest.

_Wow, this feels good. He's nice and warm. And a lot of other words my mother would be ashamed to hear come out of my mouth._

Fitz was shocked, scared and delighted by Jemma's movements, eventually wrapping an arm around her as she snuggled into his chest.

_Do NOT get turned on. Do NOT get turned on. But bloody hell, this feels good._

Neither of them ever wanted to move for the rest of their lives. They both thought about how this could be how every night was like. Fitz had never experienced anything quite as incredible as holding Jemma Simmons in his arms, and Jemma had never felt safer than when Leo Fitz held her close.

_If only he felt like I did._

_If only she felt like I did._

Considering how much she hated storms, Jemma was amazed that she now didn't want the night to end.

It didn't take too long for Fitz to fall asleep, dreaming of Jemma Simmons as he did every night. Jemma stayed put and watched him for a while before closing her eyes and feeling his every breath as his chest rose and fell.

Soon enough, Jemma dreamt of Leo Fitz as she fell asleep to the rhythm of his heart.


	6. The Second Saturday Of Every Month

On the second Saturday of every month, Jemma and Fitz would welcome some of their friends and co-workers into their apartment for an evening of food, drink and entertainment. They always had a good time together and over the years it had grown into an unmissable tradition.

Jemma, always keen to be the perfect host (Fitz called her Monica, much to her annoyance), was up early in the morning to clean the apartment from top to bottom, buy any food and drink needed from the supermarket, get washed and changed and all prepared for it was even two o' clock in the afternoon.

"They've been round when it was messy before, it doesn't matter."

"It matters to ME, Fitz!"

Honestly, if she didn't find him so goddamn sexy she'd push him out the window. Hell, if he wears anything too tight she might be forced to do so anyway to prevent herself from jumping him in front of everyone.

Jemma and Fitz were both looking forward to the night, simply because having people over meant they had plenty of distractions from one another. It was becoming more and more torturous to stay in the same room with each passing day. One moment they'd be fine, but then Jemma would think of Fitz's Village People outfit and Fitz would picture Jemma showering then they'd have to retreat to their bedrooms and hope they weren't making too much noise and arousing suspicion while arousing themselves.

Fitz slept until around midday, so Jemma had already cleaned and done most of the hard work by the time he'd got up and out of bed. The first thing to catch his attention was the table filled with alcohol in the kitchen, more than he'd ever seen a single space.

"That's a lot of alcohol." Fitz commented. Jemma turned away from her cooking of nibbles for the evening ahead to look at Fitz (and taking a moment to thank God he had already put his trousers on today).

"Yes, I think I may have bought a little too much this month." Jemma noted.

"This is at least over half the amount we usually buy, Jem. You know everyone's gonna bring a bottle or two themselves on top of this?"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry; I know it's expensive." Jemma sighed.

"Hey, it's okay. We'll use it all eventually, I guess. I mean, it's only gonna get better with age, right?" Fitz smiled. Jemma smiled back.

_He's so lovely and sensitive. The bastard._

_Why couldn't he have just gotten angry for once instead of being his lovely normal self? Actually, no. That would be impossible to resist and just thinking of it is making me tingly. Control yourself, Jemma!_

Jemma was aware she'd bought a lot of alcohol, even going to the trouble of getting a few bottles from loads of different stores to not come across as an alcoholic. She intended to get very, _very_ drunk in order to get Leo Fitz out of her thoughts for the first time in months.

"Right, I'm gonna…uh…you know." Fitz mumbled, growing red as he turned to the bathroom door.

"…Okay, yeah. Enjoy." Jemma said quickly, not wanting yet another awkward reminder of the shower incident.

"Wait!" Jemma added, turning around and stopping Fitz in his path.

"What?"

"I need your opinion." Jemma said, moving away from the kitchen and rushing into her room, coming out with two dresses.

"Which one do you think I should wear tonight?" Jemma asked. Fitz examined the two dresses, knowing he had to think logically and with his brain as opposed to any other body part.

That went out of the window when he saw one of the options was the dress Jemma hardly ever wore because she loved it so much she didn't want to damage it. It was dark green with a thin black belt positioned around the waist.

Plus, it was short. Very short.

"That one." Fitz said all too quickly, pointing at the dress.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, it'll be perfect for…um…" Fitz began, realising he didn't have an end to the sentence before he'd started saying it.

"Perfect for what?" Jemma questioned.

_Ripping off. Bending over a table. I could do this all bloody day._

"Perfect for, um…well, just perfect for tonight, really. Plus, you love that dress. I remember you saying." Fitz said.

"You do?" Jemma asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Well, uh…yeah." Fitz said, retreating to the bathroom with an awkward shuffle to his walk. Jemma watched him go and held back on offering to help him take his clothes off.

_I convince myself he doesn't see me in that way then he goes and remembers something like that._

Jemma sighed before walking into her room to get changed.

…

Fitz walked out of his room after getting changed into a light blue shirt and jeans only to see Jemma was now changed into her short dress he had chosen, bent over the kitchen table inspecting a plate of food. His jaw dropped.

_Holy fu-_

"-Funny story," Jemma said upon hearing Fitz's door close, "I just got a text from Bobbi asking if Lance was coming tonight."

"Ah, so she's finally warmed to him, has she?" Fitz asked, looking at anywhere and anything but Jemma, as much as he wanted to. The front of his jeans would probably rip if he stared too long.

"Succumbed to his stalker ways, more like." Jemma smiled.

"I wouldn't say he stalked her, per say, just…took an interest in her." Fitz said as he sat down on the couch.

"Maybe. Either way, I think she likes him now so we'll see what happens. I think they'd be quite cute together, so whatever will be will be." Jemma said.

"What are you doing?" Fitz asked, referring to Jemma's extremely arousing position over the kitchen table. He wouldn't dare take another look at her yet.

_Tonight's gonna be bloody torture. Curse biology._

"I'm inspecting the sausage rolls for golden-brownness." Jemma said.

"I'm sorry?"

"I have a chart that determines golden-brownness of food, only if it's meant to be golden brown, of course. If I rate it 7 or above, I'll serve it to guests. If not, I'll store it to eat another time." Jemma explained.

"That's insane." Fitz said.

_But super adorable at the same time._

"Not to me it isn't. It's right here in my food binder." Jemma said, opening the kitchen drawer and pulling out a large folder of papers and card in different colours. Fitz gained the courage to turn around and look at the weighty object Jemma held in her hands.

"Bloody hell." Fitz said.

"I know it's big, but food is a big subject to cover. There's the golden-brownness chart, the soggy base measurer, the curdled cream determiner and all sorts. You have to keep all the bases covered. I'm very passionate about food." Jemma said.

"Don't I know it. Anyway, how is this all gonna be in keeping with your diet? I can't see anything particularly healthy on that table." Fitz noted.

"Well, I felt I deserved a night of luxury as a reward." Jemma said.

"Fair enough. I'd get you the cookies I hid but I've forgotten where I hid them. They're definitely in my room somewhere, though." Fitz said and Jemma laughed.

"Oh, Fitz."

Jemma turned away to face the table again, and Fitz regrettably didn't look away before noticing something.

"Oh, the zip on the back of your dress is loose."

"Oh, I forgot to do it up properly." Jemma said, trying to reach it with her arm but failing.

"My arms aren't long enough. Do you, uh…do you mind…doing it up for me?" Jemma added. Fitz gulped.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. No problem. I can't think of a reason why not."

_Bloody wish I could; this could be disastrous._

"…Okay." Jemma whispered.

_Oh God, do not make any noises when he touches you._

Fitz tentatively got off the couch and headed over to Jemma, who remained facing away from him. He slowly reached for the zipper and pulled it up. Fitz's eyes were looking up at the ceiling the entire time, not daring to get even a quick glimpse at any part of Jemma's body he wasn't used to seeing (but by God did he want to be used to seeing it).

Jemma's heart rate had rarely been as fast as it was at that moment. Her eyes were closed and she was surprised at just how much energy it took for her to not act on how close her body was to that of her handsome best friend.

"T-There you go." Fitz smiled, stepping away from Jemma the instant the zip was done up. Jemma faced him slowly, giving a quick smile.

"…Thanks."

…

"Jemma, can you look at this blueprint? Coulson wants to see it on Monday and I need a second pair of eyes to check over it." Fitz said as he sat on his laptop while Jemma continued cooking.

"Fitz, I'm a little busy right now."

"I know, but I want to get this done in case I'm not in the right state of mind to do it tomorrow. It won't take long."

"Let's make a deal. You run down to the store and get me some more crisps and then I'll go over the blueprint with you. Deal?" Jemma suggested.

"Deal." Fitz said, getting up and heading for the door.

"Try not to be too long." Jemma said.

"Promise. Then when I get back I'll show you my thing." Fitz said, then grew bright red at the connotations of his words. Jemma nearly choked on the food she was tasting and couldn't look Fitz in the eye as her heart pounded against her ribcage.

_Leo Fitz, what are you doing to me?!_

"I mean. A thing. It's not, I – it's my hardware."

_Think of something, just say anything else!_

"My equipment."

_Bloody hell._

"I'm going." Fitz said, rushing out of the door. He was tempted to just throw himself into traffic and be done with it. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Probably cry.

_It's not like I haven't been thinking about his equipment anyway._

…

The first knock on the door came just after seven o' clock.

"And so it begins!" Jemma chuckled excitedly, getting up and answering the door to their co-worker and friends Daisy and Lincoln.

"What up, Fitzaaaay?!" Daisy exclaimed as she stumbled in, clearly having already had a few drinks.

"I gave her a life, don't worry." Lincoln smiled, shaking Fitz's hand as he took a seat.

"Thank Christ; the roads will be safe tonight." Fitz smiled.

Fifteen minutes later, Bobbi arrived followed swiftly by Melinda and Andrew.

"Right, just Lance then the party can start." Jemma chuckled as she offered round plate after plate of food.

"Fitz?" Daisy asked, looking at the ceiling in a confused manner.

"Yes Daisy?" Fitz smiled.

"Has your ceiling ALWAYS been that colour?"

"Yes Daisy, it has."

"Wow. You never really think about someone's ceiling, do ya?" Daisy giggled.

"I guess not." Andrew chuckled, finding the drunken Daisy extremely entertaining.

"Greatly underrated, the art of the ceiling." Daisy mumbled.

"Tell that to the cavemen." Lincoln smiled. Daisy burst out laughing, growing louder with every second and snorting wine out of her nose. Bobbi subtly got out her phone and started filming.

"You are SO FUNNY! That was hilarious. I can't remember what you just said, but it was funny." Daisy chuckled, delicately slapping Lincoln on the cheek before moving her hand away in a sharp movement.

"Ow! You've got a cactus on your face! So SHARP!" Daisy exclaimed.

"It's stubble." Lincoln remarked.

"Jemma?" Daisy said, pulling Jemma close to her.

"Yes?"

"Lincoln has a cactus on his face." Daisy whispered. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"That'll be Lance." Jemma smiled as she headed for the door. Fitz grinned as he watched Bobbi quickly use her phone to check her reflection while she put it back in her bag.

"I see the best has come last." Lance chuckled as he walked in and saw the group gathered together.

"Alright Bobbi?" He asked casually as he sat on the arm of her chair.

"Lance." She replied, glancing at him briefly.

"Right then, who wants some sausage rolls?" Jemma piped up suddenly.

"Only if they're golden-brown enough." Fitz smirked.

"You can be quiet." Jemma said, pointing at Fitz and smiling as she headed for the kitchen. Fitz watched her go with a grin.

"Fitz?"

"Yes Daisy?"

"Has your ceiling ALWAYS been that colour?"

…

A few hours later, there was significantly less food in the apartment, and even more significantly less alcohol.

Music was playing loudly as Daisy danced to herself in the centre of the room while a chuckling Melinda and Andrew laughed together and filmed the entire routine Daisy had made up. Bobbi and Lance were straight up making out against a wall in the corner. Jemma was giggling to herself as she prepared yet more food in the kitchen while Fitz and Lincoln were sat against a wall on the opposite site of the apartment, watching all of the action. They were drunk, but not as bad as some of the others.

"I gotta hand it to Daisy; she's been dancing non-stop for at least an hour and a half. That girl's got stamina." Fitz commented with a burp.

"Good to know." Lincoln smirked as Fitz laughed.

"Behave." Fitz chuckled.

"Ow!" Jemma wailed from the kitchen, immediately clutching her finger having burnt it opening the oven.

"Jem! You okay?" Fitz said, immediately standing up with panic.

"Sit down, you nerd. She's fine." Daisy shouted in between dance moves.

"I'm okay, Fitz. Thanks." Jemma smiled as she ran her finger under the tap. Fitz sunk back down next to Lincoln on the floor, staring at Jemma while he did so.

_I'd kill to see her smile like that all the time. She's got an incredible smile. And incredible legs._

"Fitz!" Lincoln said, bringing Fitz back to reality as he turned to his friend.

"Yeah?"

"You just checked Jemma out." Lincoln chuckled.

"What? No I didn't."

"You totally did. Subtly is not your strong suit." Lincoln chuckled.

"Shut up." Fitz said, taking another swig of his beer.

"Hey, don't get bad tempered. It's not like it's the first time I've caught you doing it. I just never said anything." Lincoln recalled.

"I wasn't checking her out."

"You so were. I let it slide the last few times because you've always been completely wasted, but you've only had a few beers tonight." Lincoln smirked.

"I don't want to talk about this, okay? Please change the subject." Fitz sighed as he watched Daisy drag Melinda and Andrew up from their chairs and got them to dance with her.

"…You like her."

"Lincoln, I said I don't wanna talk about this."

"Holy crap, you _like_ her!"

"LINCOLN." Fitz said, his voice raised.

"Okay, okay, sorry." Lincoln whispered.

Silence for a moment.

"It's just a little crush, if you must know." Fitz eventually said.

"I thought you said you didn't want to talk about it."

"Well, I'm all over the bloody place, alright? I can't concentrate at work, I'm losing sleep, and I can't even get completely drunk when we have friends over anymore because I'm too busy thinking about Jemma bloody Simmons to do anything with my life." Fitz grumbled. Lincoln stared at him in shock.

"How long's this been going on?"

"…I don't even know anymore. It's been on and off since we first met, really, but this time…it won't go away." Fitz explained.

"Then maybe you should tell her how you're feeling." Lincoln said.

"No way. I'm not ruining our friendship just because I spend every waking moment wanting to rip that bloody dress off her."

"I don't think she wears that all the time."

"YOU GET WHAT I BLOODY MEAN."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. You've got it bad, Fitz." Lincoln said.

"…Yeah." Fitz sighed, still staring at Jemma as she plated up more food.

Silence again.

"Please don't tell anyone about this or I swear -" Fitz began.

"-Fitz, I'm gonna level with you. This is my ninth beer in less than two hours, and I've had shots and pre-drinks too. The odds of me remembering anything when I wake up tomorrow are hilariously low." Lincoln said sternly.

"Okay." Fitz said.

"What's important is that _you're_ probably gonna remember this. So just remember my advice. Tell Jemma." Lincoln said.

"I can't do that, mate. I can't ruin over a decade of friendship over a crush."

"Every relationship starts with a crush, Fitz! Maybe this is one of those times. If it ain't going away, that's gotta mean something. Lots of people get crushes on people that they could never have a relationship with, but you and Jemma…that would work." Lincoln said. Fitz's sunken head rose a little.

"You think?"

"Yeah. Hell, I thought you two were a thing for like three months after I first met you."

"Really?" Fitz asked. Lincoln placed a hand on Fitz's shoulder.

"So you wanna do your best friend? Compared to wars and terrorism and world hunger, that's not a big deal. Tell her."

With that, Lincoln stood up, putting his beer bottle on the floor as he went.

"Where are you going?" Fitz asked.

"Pretty sure I threw up in my mouth a little there." Lincoln said, heading for the bathroom. Fitz looked at Jemma again. She noticed him and smiled gently. He smiled back.

_She's stunning._

From the other side of the room, Jemma wondered where her plans for the night had gone wrong. She'd barely had anything to drink, and that was her sole intention for the evening. What had gotten in her way?

She knew, of course. Fitz. It would always be Fitz. Fitz was the answer to everything nowadays. Not that that was a bad thing.

_He's adorable._

"Look, I can FLY!" Daisy shouted as she ran onto the couch, jumped into the air and crashed onto the floor.

…

Fitz stared blankly at the TV as Jemma closed the door, having bid farewell to Melinda and Andrew. She walked over to the couch and saw next to him.

"What time is it?" Fitz asked.

"Nearly five in the morning."

"Bloody hell."

"I know. I put Daisy to sleep in my bed so Lincoln didn't have to deal with the hassle of taking her home, Melinda and Andrew just left and Bobbi and Lance slipped away a few hours ago without telling anyone. I wonder what they could possibly be doing." Jemma explained.

"Each other, I imagine." Fitz smirked and Jemma chuckled.

"Yes, I think you're right." Jemma smiled.

"Since Daisy's in your bed, you take mine and I'll sleep on the couch." Leo yawned.

"No, I'll take the couch, it's alright." Jemma said.

Silence.

"How's your finger?" Fitz asked.

"Fine now. I didn't burn it too badly." Jemma said, holding her hand up so Fitz could see. He instinctively grabbed her hand gently and Jemma tried her utmost not to squeal at his soft touch.

"Looks sore." Fitz said, suddenly aware that he was practically holding Jemma's hand.

"…I-It doesn't hurt now."

"Good."

Silence again.

Jemma and Fitz stared into each other's eyes for a moment too long. Jemma was drawn to his lips as he was drawn to hers.

"Jemma?" He whispered. She took a deep breath.

"Yeah?"

"I, uh…"

A moment.

"…goodnight."

Fitz got up and headed to his room, quickly shutting his door behind him. He fell onto his bed and sighed into his pillow.

Jemma stared at Fitz's bedroom door then fell back into the couch.

_Part of me thought he was going to…of course not. Stupid Jemma._

"…Goodnight, Fitz." She sighed and closed her eyes.


	7. "They End Up Together, Don't They?"

Jemma was woken by a light tapping on her bedroom door.

She rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up, briefly looking at her alarm clock. 6.55am. Her alarm was about to go off.

_Fitz, I may fantasise about you and I doing incredibly arousing things to one another every day (hell, every hour) but couldn't you have waited five more minutes and given me the extra sleep?_

"Come in." She sighed, and the door slowly opened. Fitz shuffled in, surprisingly already dressed in his everyday clothing and not his underwear (much to Jemma's disappointment). He had a hot cup of tea in one hand and smiled gently at Jemma.

_She's the only woman who can look hot when she's half asleep. I know how to bloody pick 'em._

"Hey, sorry to wake you before your alarm. Just wanted to tell you SciOps have closed down for the next three days. We've got the rest of the week off." Fitz explained.

"Really? No work?" Jemma asked.

"Really."

"Why?" Jemma wondered.

"Brace yourself." Fitz said, placing the cup of tea on the drawer next to Jemma's bed and opening the curtains after giving Jemma time to shield her eyes a little bit.

The room filled with bright light, and Jemma's eyes soon adjusted to the view outside – every inch was covered in a thick layer of snow.

"Woah! Was this forecasted?" Jemma asked.

"Yeah, but they didn't expect it to be this bad. SciOps' generator's busted and it's gonna take all day today just to clear the snow out of the way of the entrance." Fitz revealed.

"Well, three days off is nothing to moan about, I guess. Although I had finally made a breakthrough with the-"

"-Jemma, stop. This is our chance to relax for a change. Let's make the most of it. I just wanted to let you know so you didn't start getting ready; I got a call from Coulson and told him I'd tell you myself. So, you can have a lie in if you want." Fitz said.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Well, I'm up and dressed, I might as well stay up."

"Then I'll keep you company." Jemma smiled. Fitz smiled back.

"Great. I'll leave you to it." Fitz said, getting up and heading for the door.

"Oh, Fitz, wait. You forgot your tea." Jemma noted.

"I made it for you, you idiot." Fitz chuckled as he opened the door and faced her.

"Oh. Thank you." Jemma smiled softly.

"You're welcome." Fitz returned, looking at Jemma for a moment then heading back into the living room. Jemma watched him go, blushing slightly.

_He's so sweet._

She picked up the cup and took a sip.

_He gets it just right every time, too. There's something very attractive about a man making a perfect cup of tea. Or maybe that's just because it's him._

_Great, now I'm getting turned on by a cup of tea. This is you at your lowest, Jemma Simmons._

…

"Do you want a hot chocolate?" Jemma asked from the kitchen later that day as Fitz sat watching TV.

"Yes, please. But on…three conditions." Fitz said.

"Go on, then." Jemma smiled to herself.

"There must be whipped cream." Fitz said.

"I can agree to that."

"There must be marshmallows."

"I can agree to that also."

"And you have to forget about your bloody diet for one day and treat yourself to one as well." Fitz said, turning to face Jemma with a cheeky grin. Jemma melted at the sight of him and laughed.

"Fine." She chuckled.

After preparing two hot chocolates, Jemma sat next to Fitz on the couch and handed him one of the mugs before they returned to watching TV.

"Delicious as always." Fitz smiled.

"Thank you very much." Jemma replied happily.

"It's good to see you treat yourself, too. You deserve it after keeping up that bloody diet for so long." Fitz said.

_The diet you've never even needed, you bloody goddess._

"Isn't that what some of the characters on that show you like say? 'Treat yourself'?" Jemma chuckled.

"Yes! I still need to get you to watch it." Fitz smiled.

"I've seen a few of them, remember. I held you while you cried after you watched the last ever episode." Jemma smirked.

"It was the perfect ending!"

"I'm sure it was." Jemma smiled.

"The main character, Leslie, she always reminded me of you a little bit." Fitz commented.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's a good thing. I promise."

"Good. Who's the nerdy one? I vaguely remember a nerdy guy." Jemma asked.

"Ben?"

"That's it; he reminded me of you. Nerd." Jemma chuckled.

"I'm proud to be like Ben." Fitz laughed.

Silence for a moment.

"They, uh, they end up together, don't they? Ben and L-Leslie?" Jemma asked nervously.

"Uh, yeah. W-Why?" Fitz asked.

"…Just wondering."

…

"It's FREEZING. Bloody snow." Jemma complained as she sat shivering on the couch.

"I know, the boiler's playing up again. I think we're gonna have to fork out the money to replace it. I can always quickly get changed and take a look-" Fitz began.

"-NO! Uh, no, it's fine. Don't trouble yourself." Jemma said quickly.

"…Okay." Fitz said.

After a moment, Fitz took off his jacket and wrapped it around Jemma, who held it closely to her.

"Better?" He asked with a smile.

"Won't you get cold?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

_I'm colder than the planet Hoth, but I don't want to spend the minute or two it would take to get another jacket away from you._

"Thank you." Jemma smiled. She knew Fitz was probably cold, but she didn't want to bring it up because then he'd go and get something to keep him warm. She wanted him close to her all the time.

_Though if you do get cold, I can think of a way we could warm up. It might get loud._

Jemma stared at Fitz for a long while as he focused on the TV. It would be so easy to just lean over and kiss him, just for the hell of it, and see what happens. She'd accepted that this crush of hers wasn't going away, so the fantasies she had about acting on it were all that were keeping her at bay.

_The things I'd give for him to take me right here on this couch…_

Fitz's eyes were focused on the TV, but his mind was very much focused on the woman next to him. The more clothes she piled on herself to keep warm, the more he thought about how he'd rip each and every layer off her.

He'd fling his jacket she was holding off and throw the blanket to the side. He'd tear off the buttons on her cardigan. He'd pull her blouse off over her head then kiss her everywhere to keep her warm.

It was killing him that he was too afraid to tell how just how desperately he wanted to do all of that.

It was killing her that she was too afraid to tell him just how desperately she wanted him. _Needed_ him.

…

"Do you remember that Christmas when my family stayed with you and your mum and it snowed for, like, two weeks straight? The amount of snowball fights we had." Jemma reminisced that evening, a fresh batch of hot chocolate in her hands (Fitz had made it this time).

"Yeah! That was so much fun. Snow angels, snowmen, snowball fights. Good times. My mum hates snow and even she joined in." Fitz added with a grin.

"That feels like decades ago." Jemma said.

"I know. I feel like a different person now."

Silence.

"Fitz, let's just have fun. Let's go outside." Jemma suggested excitedly.

"Jemma, it's nearly nine o' clock at night, it's dark out."

"I know, but there are these clever things called streetlights. They light up the field behind our apartment building amazingly; it's screaming or us to play around there." Jemma said.

_Though I'd rather we play around in one of our bedrooms._

"…I'll get my gloves." Fitz said, rushing into his room as if he were a ten-year-old boy again. Jemma watched him go with a most genuine smile.

…

Jemma and Fitz stood at the edge of the field and saw it had been surprisingly untouched (maybe the kids who were off school had gone to the bigger playgrounds instead?). The orange tint of the streetlights surrounding it made the scene look magical and alien. Jemma stood there in awe of the place with her fluffy earmuffs, pink gloves and puffy coat while Fitz wore a coat, green scarf and gloves and a light blue beanie with the same expression on his face.

The two looked at each other and, at the same time, took a step onto the grass and felt the satisfying crunch of the snow beneath their feet.

"God, I love that sound." Jemma smiled.

"I've never played in the snow in the dark before. It's strangely brilliant already." Fitz said.

"Come on then!" Jemma exclaimed, grabbing Fitz's hand and pulling him deeper into the field. When they reached the middle, Jemma let go of Fitz's hand and fell back into the snow, making a snow angel while Fitz watched happily.

"This is the only time I don't care I'm cold!" Jemma shouted with a giggle.

"I feel we've reverted back to our child selves." Fitz chuckled.

"Embrace it, Fitz!"

Fitz laughed as he proceeded to make a snowball and roll it along the ground, smiling as it grew bigger and bigger in seize.

"Making a snowman?" Jemma asked.

"Yep."

"I miss these days. Not a care in the world." Jemma commented.

"Yeah, me too." Fitz said, his snowball now the size of his chest. He picked it up and walked over to Jemma as she stood up and inspected her snow angel.

"Not bad at all." Jemma grinned.

"I agree." Fitz smiled.

"Where's your snowman going to go?" Jemma wondered.

"I think about…here." Fitz said, dropping the snowball over Jemma's head and covering her in snow. He laughed out loud as Jemma shook the snow out of her hair, laughing herself.

"You suck!" Jemma shouted as she laughed. Fitz backed slowly away, still giggling to himself as Jemma wiped more snow off of her coat.

"I'm gonna be so wet now!" Jemma said.

Fitz tried his best not to explode upon hearing her words.

"You look radiant in white." Fitz eventually said with a smirk.

"You are a dead man walking, Leopold Fitz!" Jemma said, picking up a chunk of snow and throwing it at him as he ran away. She followed him and leaped onto his back, causing him to stumble and sending them both down to the ground. Jemma ended up lying on her back in the snow with Fitz lying on top of her.

They kept laughing before staring at one another for a long while, taking in the other's every deep breath. Jemma looked briefly at Fitz's lips, wondering if she should finally fulfil her desire to discover what his mouth tasted like.

"W-We should, um…we should probably be getting back." Fitz said, almost unbearably close to his beautiful best friend.

"…Yeah." Jemma whispered in agreement, out of breath for all the wrong reasons.

_Though I'd much rather find another way of getting used to you lying on top of me._

Fitz finally got up, holding out his hand for Jemma to grab on to as she stood. They shared a short smile before turning towards their apartment building and heading home, not saying a single word on the trip back.


	8. Sticking To Tradition

Jemma was really looking forward to the evening ahead. It was Daisy's birthday party and she'd rented a hall out for the night as she did every year. Jemma always had fun at one of Daisy's parties.

Also sticking to tradition, Daisy would only let you in if you were in fancy dress, and she always gave the groups of people she knew a different theme they had to dress to via email.

Jemma was also dreading the evening ahead, because of that very email.

_'Party Fancy Dress List:_

_Family – Disney_

_Friends – Star Wars_

_Friends from Work – Pride & Prejudice_

_Kids – Western_

_Anyone not in fancy dress – YOU'RE NOT COMING IN!'_

'Pride and Prejudice'? Really?

It wasn't that she hated the book (it was actually one of her favourites), but finding a decent costume would take time and possibly a lot of money (Jemma wouldn't except anything wildly inaccurate). The other big concern was, of course, Fitz.

Daisy was very specific about what, or rather who, he had to go as.

…

Fitz was really looking forward to the evening ahead. Despite being an extreme introvert a lot of the time, he always managed to have fun at Daisy's birthday parties. She was surprisingly well organised.

Fitz was also dreading the evening ahead, because Daisy was making her work colleagues dress up as characters from 'Pride and Prejudice'. It's not that he hated the novel (he loved it, in fact), but there were two big problems.

Firstly, Daisy was making him go as Mr Darcy simply because Darcy's first name is _Fitz_ william. That made him uncomfortable.

Secondly, Jemma was going as Elizabeth Bennet and had found a ridiculously gorgeous dress that, like every dress she'd ever worn, made her look angelic. When she first showed it to him he had to cross one leg over the other to hide his Pride and bite his lip to prevent him telling her how much he wants to see her Prejudice.

He sighed as he started putting on his costume, unsure if he would actually be able to keep his hands off her this time.

…

Jemma was getting nervous as she finished putting on her make-up and styling her hair (it was raised up in a traditional sort of fashion). Anytime now she'd walk out of her room and Fitz, being Fitz, would already be ready to go. Meaning he'd be in his costume. Dressed as the first book character she'd ever had a crush on. The coincidences were starting to get scary now.

Gone were the days when Jemma thought whatever this thing for her best friend is was simply a crush. It had gone on far too long compared to previous crushes to be anything as easy as that. Her feelings were difficult and complicated and she wasn't truly sure what they were herself. She'd always missed him when they were apart for a few days or weeks if one of them was visiting their parents back home, but now she missed him if an hour went by without him. There was an intensity that wasn't there before. She _needed_ him to be close to her like she needed air. She _wanted_ him to be close to her, too.

Preferably without clothes on.

She didn't even want to think about how attracted to him he was. She never thought it possible to find someone so completely, utterly gorgeous, but with Fitz that's the way it was. His eyes, his smile, his face, his body…

She wished time and time again she'd gotten these intense feelings much earlier. Had she have not known him for quite so long when this all happened, she would have taken the chance and told him how she felt, but it's _Fitz_. It's the man she's known for so many years; they've been through so much together. The one thing holding her back above anything else was the fact that she can remember when they were young.

She remembers knowing him before his voice even broke. She remembers him crushing on other girls, just like he must remember her crushing on other guys. She remembers him telling her about his first kiss about two minutes after it happened and she remembers telling him about hers. All those personal experiences they've shared and can't share for the first time ever again. It almost seems like tainting their friendship and when they were young if anything happened between them now.

_He'd be disgusted if he knew I was thinking about him like this._

Jemma sighed.

_But I can't help it._

…

_She'd be disgusted if she knew I was thinking about her like this._

Fitz sat in the living room waiting for Jemma to walk out in that bloody dress that made her look bloody gorgeous like she always bloody was.

He'd accepted that this crush of his had escalated a while ago now, but that didn't make it any easier to live with. In fact, it seemed to make things worse. He was pretty sure he was freaking Jemma out too.

_The amount of times I've caught her staring at me recently. I must be doing something weird that she picks up on. What if I'm just terrible at hiding this?_

Things had gotten so bad that he felt like he was projecting his feelings onto Jemma every once in a while; she'd look at him in a way he would think would hint at attraction if he weren't so clueless about the whole thing.

It was physical and mental torture. Mainly physical. Even saying her name turned him on now. It was beyond control, and he was beyond redemption. He couldn't tell her, but there was no way this was ever going to go away.

He groaned as he put his head in his hands. Jemma opened her door and walked out, not daring to look at Fitz as Mr Darcy until she absolutely had to.

"Ready to go?" She asked, leading Fitz to sit up and look at her.

_Fuck me. Seriously, fuck ME._

"You look…good." Fitz said.

"…Thanks." Jemma said, underwhelmed.

_I was hoping for at least 'beautiful' or maybe for you to just do me against the wall but beggars can't be choosers._

"I-I mean, yeah. You look very nice." Fitz added.

Jemma smiled. Fitz wanted to jump off the roof of the building.

_'Very nice'? You absolute twat._

"You look very nice too." Jemma said softly, only glancing at Fitz briefly and trying not to squeal at the thought of him in that tight white shirt, dripping wet as he emerges from a lake.

_You need to stop picturing this before your legs give way, Jemma._

"Thanks." Fitz said.

"Okay, shall we go?" Jemma asked and Fitz nodded.

"Let's do it." Fitz said, wishing he was saying it in a different context.

"Okay." Jemma said softly.

Silence.

"…A-Are you alright, Jemma?" Fitz asked eventually.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I've just, um…I've just had a lot on my mind lately." Jemma replied, not looking Fitz in the eye as she opened the front door to head out.

"You wanna talk about it?" Fitz asked.

"…I think this is just something for me to deal with, Fitz." Jemma forced a smile and walked down the corridor to head for the car.

_You wouldn't believe what I'm thinking about lately._

Fitz watched her go, with a look of confusion. He remembered when they were young and they shared every detail with each other.

That was probably the thing holding him back from telling her how he was feeling, if he was honest with himself; all of that history. It wasn't just a girl he'd met in a bar or on the street and wanted to ask on a date, this was _Jemma_.

_She wouldn't believe what I'm thinking about lately._

Fitz lowered his head for a moment, running his fingers through his hair before shutting the front door and following Jemma out. Suddenly, neither of them were in the party mood.


	9. You've Ruined Me

"Lincoln, I mean it! The constant texting isn't funny anymore, okay? I haven't told her and I'm not going to. You KNOW why!" Fitz shouted into his phone as Jemma entered the apartment. Fitz's eyes filled with panic as he saw her and quickly mumbled into the phone before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Jemma asked as she put a load of shopping bags onto the kitchen table to unpack.

"Someone trying to sell me nonsense, that's all." Fitz lied.

"I see." Jemma said.

"What's all that?" Fitz asked.

"Popped into the shop on the way back from work; Bobbi gave me a lift. I was running low on some of my dietary stuff." Jemma explained and Fitz rolled his eyes.

_That bloody diet you don't need to be on. Of course._

"You'll never guess who I ran into." Jemma said as she finished packing stuff away and joined him on the sofa.

"Who?"

"Will."

The blood drained from Fitz's face as he clenched his fists.

"As in your psycho ex-boyfriend Will?"

_I detest that man and all he stands for._

"He's not a psycho, Fitz. He's just…a little _out there_." Jemma said.

"If by 'out there' you mean the bloody moon." Fitz snapped.

"Fitz! You only ever met him a few times in the two months we dated." Jemma said, surprised at the venom behind Fitz's words.

"That's all it took to know he wasn't right in the head."

"Well, he's doing okay for himself. Plus, the diet's working; he said I look very good." Jemma smiled.

"We all have eyes, Jemma; it's nothing to applaud him over." Fitz sighed.

_He would say that. Prick._

"Fitz, stop being mean! I'll have you know he's the first guy in a while who's complimented my dieting!" Jemma exclaimed.

"Well he'd say anything, wouldn't he?"

"Charming! What's wrong with you today, Fitz?" Jemma asked, offended. She stood up and marched for her room. Fitz stood up and shouted after her.

"Jemma, I didn't mean it like that! I don't compliment your diet because you looked great even before you started the bloody thing. I'm sorry, I just…I just don't like the guy. He gets me worked up." Fitz explained. Jemma looked at him for a moment and could see he was genuine in his apology.

"Okay." Jemma said, trying not to read too much into Fitz's comment about how she looked great. Fitz smiled and sat back down, calm once more.

"He asked me out again, actually." Jemma added. Fitz shot back up and looked at her in horror (and a hint of disappointment).

"H-He…he did WHAT?"

"Don't worry, I said no. I know he's not right for me. Besides, I'm interested in-" Jemma stopped. Fitz held his breath.

_ME. ME. ME._

"-in myself right now. I'm focusing on me."

_Buggar._

"…Good for you." Fitz said, sitting back down again. Jemma took a moment then entered her bedroom, collapsing onto the bed in frustration. She looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

_He looked disappointed when I told him Will asked me out, right? Right?_

_Of course he'd be bloody disappointed – he doesn't like Will! Stop overthinking things, Jemma. It's not like that._

She wanted to scream as loud as she could, but she knew even that wouldn't be enough to ease the constant ache she'd been feeling in her chest for months.

Fitz sat on the couch with his head in his hands.

_One day she's gonna find someone. And it's gonna kill me._

…

It was Jemma's cheat day again, meaning she could put her diet aside for an evening and treat herself to a takeaway.

"Jemma, pizza's here!" Fitz exclaimed excitedly as Jemma rushed out from her bedroom. The two quickly settled onto the floor with their pizza and tucked in (they always sat on the floor to eat pizza like they did when they were young).

"Oh my, that is GOOD." Jemma said, releasing a moan of pleasure as she took her first bite that affected Fitz in a way that made him glad he was lying on his front.

"That it is." Fitz eventually agreed, doing sums in his head to try and desperately get some blood flowing to his brain.

After another five minutes of eating, Jemma found herself watching Fitz eat. The way he curved his lips as he took a bite.

_I'd get him to put that to good use._

She inspected his stubble (my God, she LOVED the stubble) and was both proud and ashamed to be able to tell exactly how long it had been since he last shaved. She was so familiar with almost everything about him. The only things she didn't know about him were the things she'd been fantasising about knowing for a long while.

His eyes suddenly met hers; she looked away and pretended she was focusing on the TV playing almost silently in the background.

He looked at her and couldn't help but smile. Her warm, hazel eyes and delicate smile filled him with a joy unlike any other. He felt privileged to just be near her.

_I'd love to see how near I could get._

He felt bad for constantly having dirty thoughts about things he'd like to do to her, but he just couldn't help it. She just needed to stop being so fucking sexy.

Jemma had decided it had been too long of a silence.

"Did you hear Lance asked Bobbi out? Like, officially?" Jemma asked.

"Really?"

"Yep. They're having a proper romantic dinner, apparently." Jemma revealed.

"Well, good for him. He's liked her for a long time. Pretty, uh…pretty brave of him…t-to put his feelings out there like that." Fitz said, swallowing in shame.

"…Yeah. Especially since…you know, since they've known each other for quite a while." Jemma added quietly.

"Yeah." Fitz agreed.

Silence.

"I mean, it's not, like as long as Coulson and Melinda have been friends or anything. I know they're not together, but you get what I mean. There have been friendships lasting much longer than that." Jemma blurted.

"Y-Yeah. Like…l-like us." Fitz said.

"…Exactly. Just like us."

Silence.

"We've known each other a long time."

"A LONG time."

"Like a decade."

"Yep."

"I-I mean, that would be weird, right? I-If people who'd been friends for as long as we have started…you know…?" Fitz began, not really thinking about what he was saying.

"…Oh, yeah. SO weird." Jemma nodded, her heart deflating.

Silence.

"I mean, if I asked you out, o-or vice versa…that'd be super weird." Fitz said.

_STOP. BLOODY. TALKING._

"…Yeah." Jemma whispered, unable to look Fitz in the eye.

Silence yet again.

Fitz was kicking himself for rambling on. He didn't even mean any of that, for crying out loud! He needed to change the subject and fast. Even if Jemma was interested in him like he was interested in her, he'd completely ruled himself out of any such situation as far as she knew.

"D-Do you wanna play a game? It's been a while since we put the Xbox on." Fitz suggested.

Jemma had to play this cool. She didn't want to show her disappointment; Fitz had just made it abundantly clear he wasn't interested in her in that way. Maybe this could help her get over these feelings at last? She'd become so wrapped up in fancying Fitz that she'd forgotten about their friendship. She needed to focus on that again.

"…Only if you promise not to cry when I beat you on that football game." Jemma smirked.

"You cheated and you know it." Fitz smiled, hiding his pain.

_I've completely blown any chance I had._

After a few minutes of gaming, Fitz was caught up in the moment and had realised he'd neglected his friendship with Jemma during this phase of feelings. They were always going to be best friends, and it was time for him to accept that and embrace it.

…

It had been three hours of non-stop laughter. Jemma and Fitz hadn't had so much fun together in a long time. It was just the two of them hanging out like old times. Best friends.

They'd both missed the feeling of being comfortable around one another, and yet it had been so easy for them to slip back into it.

"Okay, okay, I admit it. I suck." Fitz eventually relented, much to Jemma's pleasure.

"You really do. You should get in some practice for next time." Jemma grinned.

"Oh, I will."

"…You know, we should do this more often. It's been a while since we just had fun like this. Not just sitting watching TV or anything, I mean something more fun." Jemma said nervously.

"Uh, yeah. I agree." Fitz smiled.

"I guess we've just been preoccupied…" Jemma said softly.

"…Yeah…with, uh…work and…things." Fitz nodded slowly.

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Well, early start in the morning, so…" Fitz began, sitting up from the couch.

"Yes, we should get some sleep." Jemma agreed.

_We should also sleep together._

And there it was. After hours of just having fun with her best friend it came back to that again. Even if she hid her feelings away, buried them deep, she'd still be putting on a face every day. That would be exhausting.

"…Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"…What we were saying earlier, about if one of us asked the other out…?" Jemma muttered nervously.

Fitz's heart stopped.

_Where's she going with this?_

"…Yeah?"

"…Never mind. Doesn't matter. Goodnight." Jemma said, heading into her room and shutting the door quickly.

"Night." Fitz said casually. Sometimes he thought he always knew what was going through her head, but then she did something weird like that.

_I almost thought she was gonna…nah. You're being stupid._

He'd just spent an incredible few hours having fun with Jemma, but now he was alone with his thoughts again he immediately thought of Jemma. It was almost like he saw her as two separate people.

_The things I'd do with two Jemmas…_

Fitz sighed, knowing one Jemma was more than he would ever want and need, but he couldn't even have that.

_Is it always gonna hurt this much?_

The worst part was if there was a way he could forget his feelings, he wouldn't dare.

…

_Just GO TO SLEEP, Jemma! STOP thinking about him, for Christ's sake!_

_You were content with him being your best friend for so long, so why is this such a problem now? For a while there, things were normal again. He was your best friend who sucked at video games. He was Fitz._

_He still is Fitz. Wonderful, funny, gorgeous Fitz. When did he become so beautiful to me?_

_I suppose he always was, wasn't he? From the second I first saw him, so quiet and pasty. Unbelievably smart, handsome…why does he have to be so bloody handsome?_

_I'm doing a disservice to him, thinking about him in a solely physical way. He means so much more to me than that._

_But MY GOD I bet he's great in bed. He's a man who does his reading._

_What happened to you, Jemma Simmons? Your life was never defined by a man. Since when did your world start revolving around him? Or maybe our worlds started revolving around each other?_

_I could just go in there and barge into him room and kiss him. It would be so easy. But you'd scar him for life. He'd be moved out by the morning. At least you could give up this bloody diet that way. I know he says I don't need to be on it, but a compliment here and there wouldn't go amiss._

_Curse you Leopold Fitz. You've ruined me._

Jemma smothered her face into her pillow. She could recite the fourteen biology textbooks she knew off by heart. She could perform minor medical procedures. She could analyse blood samples and give presentations to crowds of hundreds of people.

Yet when it came to Leo Fitz, none of that counted for anything. It became about her heart, not her brain.

She let out a big sigh, praying the answers would come soon.

…

_I could just go in there and barge into her room and kiss her. It would be so easy. But you'd scar her for life. She'd be moved out by the morning._

_Curse you Jemma Simmons. You've ruined me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you guys might like the next few chapters quite a bit. Just saying.


	10. The Turning Point

"Fitz, where the hell are you going?"

"Out!"

"It's almost midnight!"

"I need some air, Jemma!"

They'd been arguing for a good hour by this point. It had been so long they couldn't even remember what the argument was about. Something little and petty, for sure, but neither knew exactly what.

"LEO FITZ." Jemma shouted as Fitz opened the apartment door to head out.

"WHAT?"

"…At least take a coat. It's cold out there." Jemma said softly.

Fitz walked back into the apartment, grabbed his coat and walked out, slamming the door behind him and not looking at Jemma once.

Jemma let out a deep sigh of frustration as she melted onto the couch with her head in her hands. It had been like this for weeks now. Their emotions were fragile; it didn't take much to set either one of them off. The stress and strain their feelings had been having on them was quickly causing a rift, getting wider and wider every day. Jemma knew why she was emotional. Fitz knew why he was emotional. They didn't have a clue about one another. If only they did.

They always apologised eventually, and had done after each and every one of their recent fights, but the tension was still present and wasn't going anywhere.

Well, not unless their mutual attraction was going somewhere anytime soon.

The moment Fitz walked back through the door twenty minutes later he was met with a warm hug and a teary apology, and things went back to being the calm before another inevitable storm.

…

The turning point came on a chilly Thursday evening.

After a practically silent meal, Jemma and Fitz did some work on their laptops for a short while until Jemma gave up, unable to even concentrate in the same room as Fitz now. It was a sweet pain, but a pain nonetheless.

"Right, I'm gonna do a workout before I shower." Jemma said, standing up and heading to her bedroom to get changed.

"Oh, right. I'll leave you to it." Fitz said, desperately attempting to control his blood flow until he could seek the safety of solitude in his bedroom.

"Fitz, I keep telling you I don't mind you being here for-"

"-I know, but I don't want to disturb you."

"You wouldn't be disturbing me, Leo."

"Jemma, just leave it. You don't need to watch me like a child 24 hours a day." Fitz snapped.

"For goodness sake, I'm not TRYING to treat you like a child but you _are_ acting like one." Jemma retaliated.

"I don't need another lecture." Fitz groaned as he headed for his room. Jemma, angered by this point, rushed in front of him and blocked the entrance to his bedroom.

"Bloody hell, Jemma!" Fitz exclaimed.

"What on Earth is your problem?" Jemma asked brutally.

"I'm sorry? MY problem?" Fitz questioned.

"Yes, YOUR problem. I have done NOTHING to offend you and yet you're going off at me for no reason-"

"-Oh, like you haven't been shouting at me for no good reason lately!? Please! Get out of the way." Fitz barked.

"Not until you tell me what the _fuck_ is wrong with you." Jemma shouted.

"You don't get to claim any moral high ground here, Jemma! Maybe when you calm down-"

"-ME calm down? Maybe you should give up engineering and try a career in comedy." Jemma said fiercely.

"I'm not listening to this." Fitz said, throwing his laptop onto the couch and heading for the apartment door.

"Oh, that's right. Run away AGAIN. How very mature of you!" Jemma critiqued, stopping Fitz in his tracks. He turned to face her again, angrier than ever yet still gobsmacked by how hot she was when she was angry. Jemma was thinking exactly the same thing.

"I'm not running away, I'm ESCAPING. I can't even got into MY bedroom without your say so, apparently! I'll come back when YOU have calmed down and-"

"-HOW DARE YOU! How DARE you pin the blame on me, Leo _fucking_ Fitz! This is on YOU. Not me! I've had ENOUGH!" Jemma screamed, leaving Fitz in stunned silence.

"I've been dealing with all of this for months, putting on a brave face and being strong and holding it all in and you have the audacity to blame ME for putting YOU and our friendship first? Fuck that, and fuck you, Fitz! FUCK YOU."

A few tears had appeared in Jemma's eyes during her rant. Fitz stared at her blankly, her words cutting him deep. Jemma let a tear fall and wiped it away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"Then why did you?" Fitz asked, deflated.

"I…I just…I don't know."

"…You don't know. You don't know why you're being such a bitch and yet I'm the one in the wrong? What happened to us, Jemma? We NEVER used to fight! What changed?" Fitz demanded.

_I know what's changed, but I can't tell her._

"YOU CHANGED! You changed, I changed, we both changed, everything changed, I DON'T KNOW! Believe it or not, I don't have all the answers! In my professional life I do, yes, but my personal life is a complete and utter shambles and that I can and will blame YOU for. Because you drive me insane!" Jemma wailed.

A long silence before Jemma continued.

"You and your bloody blue eyes and your bloody Village People outfit and the bloody Vaseline! All of your bloody comments on my diet and my workouts and when I run into exes in the supermarket! You and everything about you drives me up the wall, Fitz! News flash: PEOPLE CAN BE FRIENDS FOR A LONG TIME AND DATE WITHOUT IT BEING WEIRD, YOU KNOW? Bobbi and Lance are doing it just fine! I've seen LOADS of people do it but just because it's so bloody hard for you to understand how emotions work doesn't mean what you say goes! I DISAGREE with you! Maybe it doesn't matter how long you've known someone for, the fact of the matter is that above all else you…"

Silence again.

"…you love them." Jemma finished, unable to look away from Fitz as she took a series of deep breaths and stopped caring about the amount of tears dripping off her cheeks onto the floor.

Fitz remained silent and still as Jemma wiped her eyes and looked to the floor.

"Done?" He asked eventually. Jemma smiled through her tears and nodded.

"Yeah, you know what? I am. I'm done. I can't do this anymore. I can't cope with us being like this for another second."

"…What does that mean?" Fitz asked, teary himself.

"…I'm moving out." Jemma whispered through her pain and ran into her room before crying into a pillow. Fitz watched the space where she was stood for a long while, his heart in pieces.

_I love her._

…

Fitz gave up knocking on Jemma's locked bedroom door after an hour and retreated into his room, drying his tears with his pillowcase.

_How did it all come to this?_

After a moment, Fitz couldn't help but chuckle lightly to himself. The way things were between him and Jemma now, he might as well have just told her how he felt months ago.

Their relationship would never be the same way again, but not in the way he wanted – either of them wanted.

His mind went over Jemma's words again and again in his head. Over and over and over.

_"You and your bloody blue eyes and your bloody Village People outfit and the bloody Vaseline!"_

His eyes? She'd always said she liked them. Why would something she liked about him anger her? And the Village People outfit? The only time he'd worn in recently was when he was doing DIY and manual labour. Why was that wrong of him to do?

_Thinking about it, she did act kind of weirdly around me when I was wearing it. Kind of like the way I am when she wears her…_

Fitz sat up straight.

_…her workout outfit._

But that would mean his Village People outfit would be _her_ version of the workout outfit? But that would mean she…?

No, surely not?

_"All of your bloody comments on my diet and my workouts and when I run into exes in the supermarket!"_

Why was she so hung up on the diet and workout thing? She used to hate getting compliments and having attention directed towards her, so why did she suddenly want attention from people about it?

Wait, no. Not people, him. People had commented on it, yes, but he was the only person Jemma ever _asked_ for his opinion on how she looked.

_Does…does she want to look good…for me? Like when she asked me to choose her dress for her…she NEVER used to let me choose her outfits. She always said I had no fashion sense._

_…What if she made me choose because she wanted me to like what she wore? ME?_

_And those little moments, like when we fell in the snow…what if that wasn't just me who picked up on those?_

_And the time she massaged me when I was stressed over work…she NEVER used to do that in all these years. And what if it wasn't just me shuffling closer when we'd watch a movie?_

What if Jemma Simmons was as upset as he was because she was _feeling_ what he was?

_"PEOPLE CAN BE FRIENDS FOR A LONG TIME AND DATE WITHOUT IT BEING WEIRD, YOU KNOW? Bobbi and Lance are doing it just fine!"_

Why would that be a reason to be upset with him unless she was taking it personally?

_She doesn't find it weird for people who've been friends for a long time to start dating._

_She doesn't find it weird._

_Bloody hell._

_It's not weird._

_She might feel the same._

"I'm a fucking idiot."

…

Fitz quietly walked out of his room and tiptoed towards Jemma's. Listening against the door for a while and not hearing anything made him conclude Jemma must have fallen asleep.

_I can't hold this in. But waking her wouldn't help matters._

In the spur of the moment, Fitz grabbed a scrap piece of paper and a pen, wrote down a note for Jemma and slid it under her door, sitting on a stool in the kitchen with a satisfied smile.

No going back now. He'd done it.

His face dropped.

He'd done it. _What had he done?_

A large part of him became terrified that he'd gotten it all wrong, but now there was nothing he could do.

Shaking with nerves, Fitz stayed put and stared at Jemma's door; it was already early morning and there would be no way he could sleep now.

…

Jemma woke up with the sun in her eyes. She checked her alarm clock and saw it was almost 6.30am – it was time to get up for work anyway.

She rubbed her eyes and felt the dried tears. Suddenly, the events of the previous night came flooding back to her and she felt like crying again.

_How can I possibly face him now?_

She knew what she had to do. She'd go to work then ask Daisy if she could stay with her for a few days. It was too painful living with a man who didn't feel the same way she did. She adored Fitz and hoped they'd find a way to be friends somehow, but everything had changed. Her sheer adoration for him had torn them apart.

She got out of bed and decided she needed to shower, heading for the door. As she reached to unlock the handle, she noticed a shard of paper on the floor.

_That's Fitz's handwriting._

She bent over and picked it up. Her heart stopped as she read the words.

She read them again. And again. And again.

_**'It's not weird for me either.'** _

Surely he couldn't mean…?

_But what if he did?_

Jemma couldn't breathe. She unlocked the door, turned the handle and pulled.

…

Fitz's eyes were fixated on Jemma as she opened the door. Her eyes were fixated on his too.

"Morning."

"…Hi."

Silence.

Jemma took a few steps towards Fitz, clutching the note tightly in her hands. Fitz's heart was beating out of his chest.

"Look, Jemma-"

"-Do you, um…does this…does it mean what I think it means?" Jemma asked tentatively. Fitz took a moment to read her face. She was on his wavelength; she understood his meaning. They were psychically linked, after all.

After a moment, Fitz stood up off of the stool and coughed.

"Uh…yeah."

The smile that appeared on Jemma's face was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

"So, you mean…you mean that you-?"

"-God yes."

"…Me too." Jemma smiled. Fitz smiled back.

"Really?"

" _Really._ "

A happy silence.

"…H-How long?" Jemma asked.

"Jemma…too long. I didn't think that you felt-"

"-I didn't think you felt…like I did." Jemma said softly.

Fitz took a deep breath and stepped close to Jemma, slowly taking her hands in his.

"I do." He smiled.

"I do too." Jemma grinned.

The two giggled together for a moment, not daring to look anywhere else but the other's eyes.

"I'm so sorry about last night, I-"

"-Jemma, let's not even-"

"-Right, right. Okay."

Jemma's face suddenly filled with a thought, leading her to let go of Fitz's hands and rush into her bedroom. Fitz watched her go with the biggest smile.

_She feels the same._

Jemma hurried back in with her phone in hand, blushing as her eyes met Fitz's again. She quickly dialled a number and waited for the other end to answer.

"What are you doing?" Fitz wondered.

"We're calling in sick." Jemma said.

"Yeah, good call. We need to talk things through." Fitz said, sitting down on the couch, buzzing with joy.

"No, Leo." Jemma said.

Fitz looked at her in confusion. She smiled at him in a way he'd never seen before.

"I think we've done more than enough talking, don't you think?"


	11. "So, To Clarify..."

Fitz stared at Jemma in shock, unable to move after hearing those words come out of her mouth.

_"I think we've done more than enough talking, don't you think?"_

She was staring at him too, somehow catatonic yet filled with adrenaline.

_I can't believe I actually just said that. I'm going to cry._

Fitz needed to say something, anything, like he needed to breathe; otherwise he was going to scream.

"…Enough…talking…" He mumbled quietly. Jemma's hands were shaking as she clutched the mobile in her hands. She suddenly realised she'd already dialled a number and there was probably someone very confused on the other end. She quickly held the phone up to her ear with widened eyes as Fitz remained staring at her.

"Hello? Hi, uh. Sorry. Yes. This is Jemma Simmons, biochem division. Yes, um…I won't be in work today. Food poisoning – it's producing a very unpredictable sequence of reactions. My roommate's the same, so he won't be in either. Leo Fitz. Engineering. Yes, yes. Okay. Okay. Alright. Thank you."

She hung up and put her mobile on the kitchen table, slowly turning back to Fitz.

"I called in sick for both of us." Jemma said shyly.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard." Fitz replied, his eyes now fixated on the floor. Neither of them were quite sure what on Earth was going to happen now.

Silence.

"So…you called in sick." Fitz said.

"Yeah."

"In order for us to, um…"

"Fitz, look, when I said what I said I wasn't intending to pressure you. I mean, it's just an expression of…I don't think I have a point to this so I'll stop talking." Jemma said awkwardly. Both of their hearts were beating out of their chests.

Silence again.

"So, I…" – "Why don't we -?"

Fitz sighed as he sat down on the couch. Jemma watched him worriedly.

_Oh God, I've blown this already._

"This is ridiculous." Fitz sighed.

"I'm sorry." Jemma said sadly.

"No, I don't mean…oh, bloody hell. Let's agree to just be straight with one another from now on, yeah?" Fitz suggested.

"Uh, yeah. Alright." Jemma said, blushing and still unable to look him in the eye.

_Being straight is what got us into this mess in the first place._

"What I mean is, well…we've only gotten this far because we agreed that… _this_ …wouldn't be weird, but…" Fitz began.

"It's weird." Jemma finished.

Silence yet again.

"I'm so sorry I did this to us. Look, I'll stay with Daisy. I can't believe I've ruined this." Jemma said, tears in her eyes as she headed for her room.

"Jemma, wait. We can't run from this anymore. It's out there now." Fitz said softly.

Jemma took a moment then sat next to him on the couch. They were as far apart as they could possibly be while still sitting on the same sofa. It'd been so long since they'd been able to look one another in the eye they were in danger of forgetting what they looked like.

"…I'd like to make a hypothesis." Fitz said.

Jemma smiled to herself. She'd always found it endearing when Fitz got all scientific, even before her first crush on him blossomed.

"I think we think that _this_ is weird because we thought it would be." Fitz added.

"…So, um…if we made sure to not make anything weird by treating it as such…?" Jemma wondered.

"We might make some progress." Fitz clarified.

"…Okay."

Fitz took a deep breath.

_Here we go._

"When you said earlier…about 'enough talking'…were you referring to what I think you were?" Fitz asked extremely reluctantly; he could hardly believe he'd actually managed to say it out loud. He'd had wild fantasies that started out in exactly the same way.

_Though unless Jemma owns a tutu I doubt it'll end the same way too._

Jemma felt as if she was about to faint. She was terrified that Fitz had put himself out there and asked a question like that, yet she also respected him for being so brave. Even in times like these she could rely on Fitz. She could always rely on Fitz.

_Which is why everything will probably still be okay._

"…Yes." Jemma stated eventually.

She still couldn't look at him. He still couldn't look at her. Fitz digested Jemma's answer as best he could.

_Holy fuck._

"…Why don't, um, why don't you ask something next? Taking turns might be easier." Fitz said.

"Okay."

Silence.

"…W-Would you consider your…f-feelings towards me as…more than friendship?" Jemma asked. She could hardly breathe.

"Yes." Fitz said without hesitation.

_Wow. Oh, wow. He didn't even hesitate. Jesus Christ._

"Do you see me in that way too?" Fitz eventually asked.

"Yes." Jemma said quickly. Fitz being so quick in his response had filled her with confidence.

As soon as he heard her answer he wanted to jump up and dance on the table, but he (luckily) refrained.

It was out there now.

_She likes me._

_He likes me._

"…How long have you had these…feelings?" Jemma asked.

"…It's been on and off for years." Fitz answered.

For the first time in a while, Jemma looked at him.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Me too!" Jemma smiled. Fitz looked at her.

"Seriously?" Fitz asked. Jemma's excitement grew.

"Yes! There were little crushes from time to time but then this one just -"

"-Wouldn't go away!" Fitz finished.

"Yes! Exactly!" Jemma giggled.

The two shared a smile for the first time in what felt like years.

"…It's been eating away at me for months." Fitz admitted.

"Me too." Jemma said, spontaneously putting her hand over his from across the couch. After a moment, Fitz took her hand and gently linked his fingers through hers, sending a shiver up both of their spines.

_This is actually happening._

_Okay, Jemma. Don't cry. Do. Not. Cry._

"I guess we've been pretty oblivious then." Fitz smiled.

"I guess so. Though you were worse." Jemma teased.

"What?"

"Why do you think I went on that bloody diet?" Jemma questioned, playfully shoving Fitz.

"What, that was just for me?" Fitz asked, astounded.

"Yes! I thought you barely recognised me as a female." Jemma said, looking down with embarrassment.

"Oh, man. I'm sorry I made you feel like that." Fitz said.

"It wasn't your fault, it's always been my problem." Jemma replied.

"Well, at least you know now I definitely know you're a female." Fitz smiled and Jemma chuckled.

"I do."

"You never needed to go on a bloody diet."

"Well I guess I can stop and have those cookies again." Jemma grinned.

"I feel that is, ironically, the healthier option for you." Fitz said and Jemma laughed.

"I thought you just found it disgusting, running off whenever I put on a workout DVD." Jemma recalled. Fitz blushed and looked away, which Jemma picked up on.

"Fitz? What is it?"

"It wasn't the working out so much as…what you wore." Fitz admitted.

"My workout outfit? What's wrong with it?" Jemma wondered.

"Nothing, that's the problem; it's very, very right."

"Fitz, I don't understand."

"It turned me on." Fitz admitted, closing his eyes and holding his head in hands in shame as Jemma smiled.

"No. Way." Jemma laughed.

"You can laugh, but if my train of thought is correct you'd have the same reaction to a certain outfit of mine." Fitz teased and Jemma blushed.

"Shut up."

"Knew it."

"Basically, we're as bad as each other and we should've just talked things through months ago." Jemma chuckled.

"I guess so." Fitz agreed.

A moment as the two looked at one another with a smile.

"So, to clarify…" Fitz began and Jemma giggled.

"Yes?"

"There are…mutual…feelings here?"

"…There are indeed. And a mutual…attraction." Jemma added nervously.

"Absolutely." Fitz stated.

Silence.

"So…" - "So…"

The two laughed again.

"All those times when I thought that maybe you felt the same then I convinced myself it was all in my head." Jemma recalled.

"I know." Fitz nodded.

"Times when I just wanted to scream or kiss you with everything I had…"

"Oh, yeah." Fitz agreed.

"…And now there's nothing to stop us."

Jemma's statement caused the world to stop turning, even for just a second. Jemma and Fitz looked into each other's eyes and realised she was right. What the hell was holding them back now?

For the very first time, the answer was simple. Nothing.

_What the bloody hell are we doing?_

Jemma and Fitz practically leaped towards each other as their lips crashed together. Jemma climbed onto Fitz's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening that joyous first kiss as he gently tucked her hair behind her ear.

It was everything they'd imagined and then some.

The occasional moan Jemma let out in between kisses drove Fitz a wonderful kind of insane as they fell back onto the couch, Fitz lying on top of Jemma as she pulled his body close to hers by his shirt collar.

"Oh, _Fitz_."

She'd never said his name quite like that before.

_But I'll bloody make sure she does again._

"-waited so long -"

"-feels so good -"

"-can't believe we're finally -"

"-do this all day -"

They only broke apart when it became necessary to breathe. Fitz looked down at the beautiful woman lying underneath him and smiled. She smiled back, breathing heavily.

_He's already taken my breath away._

"You're right, you know." Fitz said intently.

"About what?" Jemma asked.

"…I'm so done talking."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, my dear readers. Next time. ;)


	12. Finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Look what I finally stopped neglecting! Enjoy :)

Jemma stared up at the man lying above her and tried her best to hold back a beaming grin that would probably terrify him.

"Seriously?" She asked.

"…Yeah." Fitz exhaled with a small smile.

"…Right."

"I-I mean, if y-you want to." Fitz added in a panic.

"I want to." Jemma said quickly.

"Well…okay." Fitz smiled.

"Okay." Jemma smiled back.

"And it's not gonna be weird."

"It's not gonna be weird."

Jemma and Fitz sat up and spent half a minute sat in awkward silence and sharing glances.

"…W-Why don't I get myself cleaned up in the bathroom and you can get ready out here?" Jemma suggested, standing up and blushing at the thought of what the two of them would be doing soon (each other).

"Great idea." Fitz said, standing up and coughing to fill the silence. Suddenly he filled with panic.

"N-NOT THAT YOU NEED TO FRESHEN UP OR ANYTHING. I-I mean, you, you look amazing. I mean, you know. I'm, uh, what I meant is that-"

He was cut off by Jemma smiling as she kissed him again.

"…Please do that more often." Fitz smiled.

"Promise." Jemma giggled, kissing him again. She found his awkward rambling hideously adorable.

"Shall we say…ten minutes?" Jemma suggested.

"Ten minutes." Fitz nodded.

Jemma blushed slightly as she turned around and headed into the bathroom, unable to wipe the smile off her face and unable to resist taking another look at Fitz before closing the bathroom door behind her.

_I've wanted this for so long already. Ten more minutes is nothing! Ten minutes. It's actually gonna happen._

Fitz's heart started thumping as the blood drained from his face.

_Bloody hell. It's actually gonna happen._

…

_Okay, Jemma. Do not have a panic attack._

As Jemma stared into the mirror, she had never been so nervous about anything in her life.

Months of yearning and suffering were finally about to pay off. She'd wanted this for so long and now it was about to happen. It had to be perfect.

She turned the tap and held her finger in the water until it reached a temperature she was happy with before realising she had no idea why she'd even put the tap on in the first place. She decided to wash her face just for the hell of it; it might even help clear her head.

After all, she'd been dreaming of this for so long and now dream was about to become reality. She had no idea how it was going to go down. After it happens there's no going back, all the innocence in their relationship would vanish.

_Stop worrying. He's gonna be great and you're gonna be great. I wonder what he likes in the bedroom. Does he like rough and loud? Top or bottom? I hope he likes going on top. He's an engineer, he likes putting the effort in, right?_

Jemma laughed to herself and blushed at the thought. She'd never thought about Fitz in this way with the knowledge that something actually was going to happen. She never thought she'd be in a place where she was about to have sex with her best friend of over a decade. It's not exactly a situation people usually find themselves in, after all.

_I guess we've always been unusual, though._

Jemma smiled softly.

…

_I hope she won't mind me going on top. What if she does? Bloody hell._

Fitz had spent the last few minutes pacing from one end of the living room to the other.

_Is there a sex-related version of stage fright? Is sex fright a thing?_

It had been a while since Fitz had been with a woman, so long he couldn't really remember if he was any good or not. All he knew was that it was with his ex-girlfriend Sophie and she turned out to be a right bitch.

But now it really, really mattered. It was Jemma for God's sake. All of these torturous few months she'd been interested in him too, and what if all ended up going wrong? What if she doesn't even get a reaction from it? What if he's so bad it ends up practically being necrophilia?

_Come on, Leo, positive thoughts. I do believe in fairies. I do! I do!_

_Thinking about fairies; way to be manly, Leo._

_I bet Jemma's not thinking like this. I bet she's not this nervous._

Then it hit him. People always said they were psychically linked, like a hive mind. Maybe she was panicking just as much as he was.

…

Jemma jumped when there was a light knock on the bathroom door.

_Oh no, has it been over ten minutes? I hope he doesn't think I've chickened out. Oh, bloody hellfire!_

"Jem?" Fitz asked quietly from the other side of the door.

"Yeah?" Jemma responded nervously.

_Oh god, has he changed his mind? I wouldn't be able to ever leave this room. Maybe I should just sit in the shower and wait for death._

"Are you freaking out as much as I am?" Fitz wondered with a slight chuckle. A smile spread across Jemma's face.

"That depends. Can you breathe?"

"Barely."

"Then I'd say we're in the same boat, yes."

Fitz rested his head against the door just as Jemma, unknowingly, did the same.

"I think we're thinking too much into this." Fitz said.

"I think you may be right." Jemma smiled.

Delicately, Jemma reached for the lock on the bathroom door, unlocking it and slowly opening it. She couldn't help but smile as her eyes met Fitz's again, and he couldn't help but smile when he saw her.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Fitz offered Jemma his hand and of course she took it, letting him guide her out of the bathroom and back into the living area.

"You know, when it comes down to it, we're just two people with no labels. It's all about the moment; we just need to seize it. Let's just do it." Fitz suggested innocently, but Jemma blushed.

"Literally and metaphorically." She smirked, and then Fitz blushed.

"Jemma Simmons, this is a side of you I've never seen."

"Well, do you like this side of me?" Jemma wondered, taking a step closer to her handsome Scottish best friend-slash-crush-soon to be lover-slash-hopefully boyfriend.

"There could never be a side of you I don't like." Fitz grinned.

"Literally and metaphorically." Jemma said again with a giggle that made Fitz melt inside.

A minute went by filled with a short laugh from the pair, and a lot of looking down at the floor avoiding eye contact.

_How do I go about this now?_

_Should I start taking my clothes off or his?_

"…Okay, I'm gonna kiss you again." Fitz said and Jemma laughed as her lips welcomed his once again.

"That is absolutely, perfectly fine." Jemma exhaled the second their lips parted.

"Thank God." Fitz smiled as he rested his forehead on hers.

_Let's make it simple._

Jemma took a step back and held out her hand, leaving Fitz somewhat bewildered.

"Let's stop overthinking it. I'm Jemma Simmons, biochem. And I like you. A lot."

Fitz smiled and he took Jemma's soft hand delicately in his.

"Leopold Fitz. Engineering."

A short silence.

"Oh! Sorry. And I like you too. Lots."

"…Well, that wasn't scary." Jemma smiled.

"It really wasn't." Fitz agreed.

Jemma gently took Fitz's hands in hers and looked deep into his eyes, her thumbs caressing his fingers.

"Fitz, it's been ten years. We've already wasted enough time." She smiled.

Fitz smiled at her with the look he had in his eyes every time he looked at her – as if she was the answer to his every question.

"I adore you." He whispered with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Well that's a coincidence, because I adore you too."

And for the first time in who knows how long, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons were just two people, a boy and a girl, who adored each other. And, more importantly, they both knew it.

Fitz smiled as he stepped into Jemma and kissed her again, his arms delicately on either side of her waist and bringing her body towards his, closing the already small gap between them. Jemma wrapped her arms around his neck as she matched the movements of his lips, eventually letting one hand free to run her fingers through his hair as they slowly backed up against a wall, her back pressed against it as she wrapped a leg around his.

The second their lips parted, he longed to explore any skin close to him. He found her neck first and gently drew a line with kisses along it, causing her to lift her head up and let out a small, pleasured gasp. He didn't know if the scent he picked up was her perfume or her shampoo because either way it was fucking gorgeous.

She moaned again as his lips began to feel her pulse and wondered if it's even possible for him to make her feel any better than she did at that moment. He kissed up her neck and it's when he nibbled her earlobe that she decided she _needed_ him again, guiding his lips back onto hers with her hands.

Their lips explored each other's for a while longer before it was her turn to kiss _his_ neck. And so she did. All over. He let his hands rub up and down her back just as hers moved down his chest and a few of her fingers reached under his shirt and tickle the bottom of his torso, sending a shiver through his body he's never experienced. Neither of them could fathom how real life was somehow managing to be even better than their dreams of how this would go.

Fitz's fingers moved deliciously through Jemma's hair as he kissed her again; this time, their tongues started getting acquainted. He couldn't describe how she tastes but he knows he loved it. His lips moved away from hers and back down to her neck again, and then slightly lower until he kissed the very top of her chest, just above her heart. It made her release a moan that drove him absolutely insane and left her unable to leave this man fully clothed for a second longer.

Her hands reached for the bottom of his top and clenched into fists, each one grabbing hold of the shirt's material.

" _Fitz_."

She only said his name, like she had millions of times, but she'd said it in a way she never had before and in a way that he knew was an order. He lifted his arms up as she pulled his shirt up his body and over his head, throwing it across the room as it came off. He kissed her again as her hands felt up and down his chest. She relished the chance to get to know him in the only way she didn't after so long. Her delicate fingers traced a line slowly down the middle of his chest; he bit his lip as she felt him breathing.

" _Jemma_." He whispered into her lips as he kissed them. Her fingers moved to the button on his jeans, which she undid slower than she intended as she got lost in Fitz's kiss. She unzipped the jeans and wrapped her arms around his bare chest as he let the jeans fall as far as they could and quickly shook them off of his legs. His hands felt up her silky smooth legs before he lifted her by her thighs and pressed her against the wall again, smiling into the next kiss as he felt her legs wrap around his waist and hands ruffle his hair.

After a few glorious moments, Jemma began lifting up her pyjama top; Fitz finished the job for her, pulling it over her head and discarding it to the side before pressing his lips to the new selection of bare skin on show to him, from the top of her chest to her smooth stomach. His hands crept up her back as his fingers tingled with her bra strap. Should he undo it yet? Should he wait for a few seconds more?

_No, not yet._

Fitz smiled again as he moved his hands back down and rubbed the tops of her legs. She smiled too as she bit her lip; he was playing with her and she loved it.

But the thought of knowing Fitz was only a pair of boxers away from being naked was driving her crazy. She could hardly wait any longer.

" _Fitz_." She mumbled as she bit his lip and planted kisses along his jaw and down onto his shoulder. She felt him grab her pyjama shorts and move them down; she outstretched one leg and manoeuvred it until it slid off her foot before stretching the other one for Fitz to easily slide the shorts off, kissing her leg as he did so.

Fitz tried not to think about how they were now both in their underwear otherwise the whole thing would be over before it had properly begun.

"Which bedroom?" Fitz whispered in between explorations of her mouth. They were both already breathing heavily and Jemma took a moment to consider by resting her forehead on his and listening to his panting, praying for the moment it would get even faster.

"Yours." She whispered before kissing him again.

"Mine's a mess." Fitz panted.

"Yes it is." Jemma smirked.

_Oh, that's it._

Fitz kissed her with more intensity than ever before as she tightly gripped his hair. His tongue moved down and teased her neck; she let out a moan that gave Fitz more pleasure than any previous sexual experience ever had. He'd made _Jemma Simmons_ make _that_ noise.

"Leo, I…I can't wait a _minute_ longer. _I want you_." She begged as he carried her across the apartment, kicked open his bedroom door and let them both fall onto his bed. He knelt over her as he kissed her abdomen and worked his way upwards. She sat up with him, kissing all over his chest before their lips met again before falling back to lying down again.

"Oh God, _Fitz_." Jemma moaned passionately, making him realise just how addicted he was to her voice. Her saying his name like that could keep him alive longer than food and water could ever dream of doing.

" _Jemma_ …"

Him saying her name like that had made every bad moment of her life absolutely and utterly worth it.

His hands slid under her back again, and this time his fingers found her bra strap and _ripped_ it apart as he kissed her and flung the bra across the room.

"Trying not to think too much about what I just did." Fitz whispered into the kiss with a smile, which Jemma mirrored.

"Probably best."

They kissed for another twenty or so seconds before Jemma instinctively moved her hands under Fitz's boxers and slid them down his legs. She bit her lip and smirked at the sight she was greeted with as he pulled the boxers off the rest of the way and she pulled the covers over them both. He kissed her neck again as she held his head against her skin, moaning with pleasure at every movement of his lips.

"I can't believe it's happening." She whispered.

"Finally." Fitz moaned in between kisses, slipping his hands down her waist and to her underwear. Jemma thought about how close his hands were to her –

"Oh god, _Fitz_!" She moaned as the thought took over every part of her being. In the moment, Fitz _tore_ her underwear off and threw it across the room.

"I'll replace those, don't worry." Fitz chuckled as he kissed all the way up her chest until he reached her lips again; she nibbled on his lip and ran her fingers through his hair, tracing a line down his back.

"Fitz…" She whispered melodically into his lips. He silenced her by letting his tongue explore her mouth; she let out another moan that drove him crazy, running a hand down her thigh.

The second their lips parted she let out another desperate gasp of his name. She couldn't wait anymore, and neither could he. After all, it had been over ten years. They needed to stop wasting precious time.

"Fitz, _please_ …"

"Oh… _Jemma_."

Her hand caressed his cheek as their eyes met and said all they needed to say.

_I'm ready._

_Me too._

His arms holding himself above her, he leant down and kissed her teasingly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

And then, like the simplest of things in the world, it finally happened. For both of them, it was the greatest feeling in all of creation.

She relished in the feeling of having him inside her, gripping the edges of the mattress and moaning passionately with every thrust. They found a rhythm surprisingly quickly, and what a beautiful rhythm it was. It took a lot of strength to not scream as loud as she could; the satisfaction of how it felt was enough to pleasure her for months, probably years to come (no pun intended), but knowing that it was Fitz doing this to her, making her feel like _this_ after so long made her happy beyond comprehension.

Fitz had never felt better about life in that moment. Making Jemma Simmons say his name in _that_ way turned him on beyond belief, and he'd already decided it was his greatest achievement; screw academics. He'd known Jemma's boyfriends over the years – hell, he'd even become good friends with a few of them – and there were times when he'd come home or be kept up at night as she engaged in intercourse with them. But of all the times he'd had the displeasure of being forced to listen to Jemma having sex with another guy (and deep, deep down wishing it was him), she'd never been _this_ into it; at least, she'd never _sounded_ this into it before. That made him feel absolutely fucking fantastic.

In fact, they both spent the next few minutes feeling absolutely fucking fantastic.

…

As Jemma rested her head on Fitz's bare chest, his arms wrapped around her, she concluded that she hadn't felt quite so happy in a long time. She'd never been quite so… _satisfied_ either.

"Well…that happened." Jemma panted softly.

"…Yeah." Fitz smiled.

"…I'm glad it did." Jemma smiled, looking up at Fitz. He moved a strand of her out of her face and behind her ear.

"Me too."

"So, no regrets?" Jemma wondered nervously.

"…Just two." Fitz said.

"Really?" Jemma feared.

"One, it took us over a bloody decade to do that." Fitz smirked and Jemma chuckled into his chest before nodding in agreement.

"And two?" Jemma prompted.

"…We left the door open." Fitz said blankly, causing Jemma to burst out in laughter at the unexpected remark, looking and seeing the bedroom door was indeed open.

"It just isn't practical, is it? On TV or in a movie you see them kick the door closed or push it as you walked in but in the moment there's just no time." Fitz elaborated as Jemma continued laughing.

"It's not like there was anyone here to walk in on us." Jemma smiled.

"I know, but the point still stands." Fitz chuckled. Jemma shuffled off of Fitz's chest and lay in bed facing him; he rolled over and faced her, their noses barely a centimetre apart.

"Let's just agree to not wait another ten years to do that again." Jemma grinned.

"I don't think I'll be able to wait another ten _minutes_." Fitz smirked and Jemma giggled.

"Well, now _that_ is impractical." Jemma teased.

"I guess so. It's not my fault you're gorgeous, though." Fitz said. Jemma blushed slightly, shuffling close enough to fill the gap between them and kissed Fitz with all she had.

"…I hope you realise I'm never letting you go now I have you." Jemma whispered with a slight smile.

"Jemma Simmons, I am yours. Proudly so."

"I'm yours too, Leo Fitz."

This time, it was his turn to kiss her.

"What now?" Jemma wondered.

"Well, we've got the whole day off and I'd definitely like to take my girlfriend out for a proper date." Fitz smiled. Jemma held in a squeal.

_Girlfriend. Finally._

"Sounds good to me. But in an hour or two." Jemma said suggestively. Fitz found her hand over the covers and held it gently, rubbing her palm with his fingers.

"You have something else in mind?" He asked with a smirk.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Jemma whispered, kissing Fitz again. She planted a few more kisses across his jaw, down to his shoulder and back up his neck until her lips reached his ear.

"You get your Village People costume, and I'll get my workout outfit." She whispered seductively.

Fitz had never moved faster and Jemma had never laughed harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter as it stands will be the last one, an epilogue kind of thing. I don't want to drag the story out for the sake of it. Thank you so much for reading, giving kudos and commenting!


	13. All The Other Stages

"Jemma, did you get more milk?"

The question hit Jemma Simmons the second she opened the apartment door, two bags of shopping on each arm. She struggled to shuffle inside while simultaneously holding the door open and trying not to drop the precious goods she was carrying.

"Yep." She replied before unloading the bags onto the kitchen table and closing the door with her reddened hand, still stinging from the plastic handles pinching into her skin from the weight of the shopping.

"Oh, excellent. I forgot to put it on the list." Leo Fitz smiled softly as he sat on the couch watching some tedious quiz show.

"You could've sent me a text." Jemma said as she began unpacking the groceries.

"It was all the way over there, so I just hoped you were as wonderful as I know you to be and would get some anyway in case we were out." Fitz explained. Jemma looked at the spot where Fitz pointed to and chuckled under her breath at the sight of his phone lying next to the kettle.

"You couldn't get up and walk about five metres to get your phone? Are you that lazy?" Jemma smirked.

"You know I am." Fitz grinned cheekily.

"I don't know why I bother." Jemma teased as she finished putting away the shopping.

"You _did_ volunteer to do the shop this time." Fitz smiled.

"I know that, I meant why on Earth I bother with _you_." Jemma smirked playfully as she walked over to the couch and fell into Fitz's lap like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Well, I'm hilarious for a start." Fitz began and Jemma smiled.

"Can't argue with that." She agreed.

"I have an incredibly seductive accent."

"To me? Yes. To a lot of other people? Definitely not." Jemma critiqued.

"My gorgeous blue eyes."

"A big plus."

"Well, if we're gonna get into the size of things…"

"…and we'll stop there." Jemma laughed as she playfully pushed Fitz away, getting off his lap and taking a seat next to him on the couch.

"But I'd barely scratched the surface!" Fitz protested.

"Leo, you know I have a ridiculous amount of reasons to put up with you. Just as you must have a ridiculous amount of reasons to put up with me." Jemma said.

"Nope. I only have one reason I put up with you." Fitz smiled.

"…And what's that?"

"You're Jemma Simmons."

Jemma melted at Fitz's words, instantly pulling him close and kissing him passionately. She slowly pulled away, leaving their faces close to one another.

"Still not used to that." Fitz smiled.

"Me neither." Jemma blushed.

"Look at you blushing. Blushing because you fancy me and want to kiss me…" Fitz sang as he crawled across the couch and on top of a giggling Jemma.

"Shut up." Jemma smirked.

"Never."

"Will you ever stop talking at some point?" Jemma teased.

"Of course not, it's one of the reasons you -"

Fitz stopped short of finishing the sentence as panic filled his eyes as well as Jemma's. They'd been dating for a little while now but either of them had yet to say those three little words, or even mention 'the L word' in any capacity. They'd both thought it, of course, but once they said it out loud there was definitely no going back.

"…are so fascinated by me." Fitz finished slowly. Jemma's face relaxed as she kissed him again.

"I suppose so." She smiled.

"Case closed." Fitz teased, kissing Jemma again before sitting up.

"You drive me mad, you know that?" Jemma chuckled.

"I know. I drove you mad twice last night and once this morning, if you recall." Fitz said suggestively, switching off the TV.

"Uh…no, not sure I do. Pretty sure I slept all through the night and most of this morning." Jemma retaliated playfully, making Fitz laugh.

"Come on, you have to agree last night was some of my best work. I didn't even think about bringing out the Village People outfit." Fitz recalled proudly.

"Good for you." Jemma smiled.

"Come on, Jem, admit it; I rocked your world." Fitz begged, shuffling up against Jemma and resting his head against hers.

"If anything, _I_ rocked _your_ world." Jemma teased.

"You always do."

"There was me thinking you only ever had performance anxiety when it comes to work." Jemma continued teasingly.

"You're killing me, woman." Fitz smirked.

"Leo, you're always incredible in the bedroom. How many times do I have to tell you that? Do you not remember our first time?" Jemma said, blushing as she experienced some flashbacks.

"Of course I bloody remember. Best half an hour of my life." Fitz recalled.

"Half an hour? Bit generous, isn't it?" Jemma grinned.

"Stop it!" Fitz chuckled. Jemma laughed as she rested her head on Fitz's shoulder and took his hands in hers.

"Okay, fine. Come on Leo, if you weren't as good as you say you were last night, do you really think I'd have come back for more this morning?" Jemma explained, biting her lip.

"I bloody knew I was on top form. Bloody knew it!" Fitz grinned, satisfied.

Jemma took a moment to smile to herself, something Fitz picked up on.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I just…I still find it crazy that we can talk about our sex life so easily. I was so worried it would be a disaster." Jemma admitted.

"Well, so was I. But we worked through it. There's nothing we can't do." Fitz smiled, kissing Jemma's hand.

"I know, I know, we're quite the success story." Jemma said.

"They should make a film about us. They could call it 'A Decade of Sexual Tension'." Fitz suggested and Jemma laughed again.

"I can only imagine what sixteen year old Leo and Jemma would make of this." Jemma said.

"Sixteen year old Leo is very, very proud, I can assure you." Fitz grinned.

"I'm sure he is. It's just crazy to think of how we were then, when we were young, and how we are now. Who'd have thought this would be how things ended up when we first met?" Jemma wondered.

"I know. I'm bloody glad it did, though."

"Me too."

Jemma kissed Fitz again before getting up and heading for the kitchen to get a snack.

"Oh, before I forget, mum and dad are over for dinner tomorrow." Jemma said as she examined the contents of the fridge. Fitz shot up and looked at Jemma with pure fear filling his body.

"What?!"

"Mum and dad are visiting, remember? I told you ages ago when they planned it." Jemma explained.

"As in, before we got together?" Fitz asked.

"I think it was just a bit before, yeah. You know how they like to be prepared; it's where I get it from." Jemma said.

"Bloody hell." Fitz sighed as he began pacing across the room.

"What's wrong?" Jemma asked.

"What do you think? Your PARENTS, Jem! YOUR PARENTS."

"Leo, you've known them for ten years. You've met them hundreds of times!"

"Yeah, and all of those time it's be as your best friend Leo. This time it'll be 'Hello again Mr and Mrs Simmons, remember me? Yeah, I'm doing your daughter now; isn't change fun?'" Fitz rambled nervously.

"…You haven't called them Mr and Mrs Simmons for years." Jemma noted.

"THAT'S THE ISSUE YOU HAVE WITH THIS?!" Fitz exclaimed.

"Leo, calm down! It's going to be fine! They adored you before we got together, and they'll adore you even more now we're a couple. They were over the moon when I told them we were together." Jemma comforted.

"What if that was their plan? What if it's all a ruse? What if they wanted you to think they were okay with it so you'd invite them over for dinner so they could poison my food and off the man stealing their daughter from them?" Fitz speculated nervously.

"Now you're being silly. They love you, you buffoon. It'll all be okay." Jemma smiled, walking over to Fitz and hugging him.

"Okay." Fitz said, wrapping his arms around Jemma and holding her tight.

"I would avoid the whole 'I'm having sex with your daughter' conversation where possible, though." Jemma smiled.

"Noted."

…

Jemma and Fitz were cuddled on the couch the following evening. Behind them, the table in the kitchen had been transformed into a beautiful arrangement of porcelain, cutlery, tablecloths, glasses and candles. Additionally, a soft instrumental was playing through a speaker, creating a relaxed mood throughout the space.

Fitz, however, was still anything but relaxed. In fact, he'd never been so nervous before.

He jumped slightly at the sound of a knock on the door; Jemma hopped up excitedly.

"That'll be them!" She exclaimed, heading for the door.

"Okay, I'm just going to the toilet quickly. I'll only be a few hours." Fitz said, heading off before he was stopped by Jemma's hand grabbing his.

"You have _nothing_ to be nervous about. They've wanted this to happen longer than we have." Jemma smiled gently, kissing Fitz and heading back towards the door. Fitz took a deep breath as she opened it and hugged her smartly dressed parents with an exchange of chuckles.

Looking at Jemma's father in his pinstripe suit, Jemma's mother in a long, elegant cream dress and Jemma herself in a short navy number (he'd spent most of the day looking at her, as always), Fitz began to feel underdressed in his crimson shirt and black trousers. Jemma had picked it out for him, but the concern was still there.

"There he is!" Jemma's mother grinned as she rushed by Jemma and pulled Fitz into a hug.

"Hi, Evelyn." Fitz said.

"More handsome every time I see you! Your shirt is lovely!" Evelyn exclaimed.

"Oh, thank you." Fitz blushed.

"I adore the colour." Evelyn smiled.

"Me too." Jemma chirped, passing Fitz with a wink as she checked how the food was coming along in the oven. Evelyn rushed over to join Jemma in the kitchen while Fitz put more effort in than he'd ever admit into firmly shaking the hand of Jemma's father.

"Leo. Good to see you as always."

"You too, Michael." Fitz nodded as Michael smiled warmly and took a seat on the couch. Fitz watched him as he did so, only one thought running through his head.

_I'm doing your daughter._

Immediately Fitz sat on a chair next to the couch before he passed out from the intense heat he felt inside and out. Michael and Evelyn were as nice as humans could be and he'd spent hour upon hour in their company before, yet he was sat there sweating like a pregnant nun. Michael coughed and turned towards Leo to begin conversation.

"So, I hear things are going well with you both -"

"- Oh, yeah. Things are amazing, you know? I can't believe we didn't do it sooner. THE RELATIONSHIP I MEAN, as in me and Jem…together…not like, do _it_. I mean…I mean we _do_ it, of course, and it's incredible, we have sex all the time, but…yeah." Fitz rambled, only processing what he'd said the second the words left his mouth. Now he wanted to die.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Michael spoke again.

"…I was going to say I hear things are going well with you both…at work."

"…That does make more sense." Fitz squeaked, his face now the colour of his shirt.

"Yes. It does." Michael nodded awkwardly, unable to look Fitz in the eye.

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to -"

"It's fine, Leo." Michael whispered, pretending to be interested in what was on TV. Fitz looked at the window on the other end of the apartment, very tempted to leap out of it.

"I ramble when I'm nervous." Fitz added quickly.

"…Yes, I noticed."

In the kitchen, Jemma had started plating up the first course of the meal, Evelyn breathing down her shoulder.

"Can I help you, mum?" Jemma asked.

"I'm waiting for all the gossip!" Evelyn said.

"About what?"

"You and Leo, of course! You never tell me anything on the phone or when we video chat, and this is hardly a conversation we can have at the dinner table with your father present!" Evelyn stated.

"Mum, things are going amazingly well. I've honestly never been happier. That's all you need to know." Jemma said and Evelyn smiled.

"I can see that's the case already, thank you very much. You've never looked so happy in your life; your father and I always said from day one that this would happen! Day one!" Evelyn said excitedly.

"And that's wonderful mum, but that's the sort of things I don't want you to say in front of Leo."

"Why not?"

"This is the first time he's seen you both as my boyfriend; he's terrified he'll make a fool of himself. He's…he's even worried he'll accidentally bring up our sex life." Jemma whispered.

"I'm glad you mentioned that. How is he on a scale of one to ten?"

"MUM!"

"I'm interested in my only child's life! I haven't got forever to wait for grandchildren." Evelyn said.

"Mum, stop it. We haven't been dating for that long!" Jemma argued.

"You've been dating for a decade, anyone can see that!"

"This is exactly the type of thing that would scare him off if he heard it." Jemma sighed.

"That's why I'm talking to you about it, sweetheart. Look, Leo's a very smart man; he won't make a fool of himself in front of us! He never has!"

Fitz leant forward slightly.

"…Would you like any crisps?"

"Thank you, but we're about to have dinner." Michael said.

"Oh. Yeah."

…

"Okay, okay! Ready to go!" Jemma announced happily as she finished plating up the food and placing it on the table. Evelyn sat down happily with Michael taking a seat next to her. Fitz grabbed Jemma's hand and brought her into the kitchen. He instantly sighed and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You okay?" Jemma asked.

"It was just as I feared. I brought it up." Fitz sighed. Fear filled Jemma's face.

"What?!"

"I'm sorry!"

"How did that even come about?" Jemma asked.

"Because I'm a Scottish, curly haired blue eyed moron, that's why!" Fitz stated.

"…Okay, okay, it's fine. It's just nerves. We'll have dinner and we'll power through it, okay? Just like we've powered through all of this. How did dad react?"

"Stunned silence, mostly."

"Oh, Christ."

"I said this would happen, Jem! I've never been so stupid in front of them before!" Fitz said.

"Leo, it's fine. Don't worry. Let's just have an…appropriate…conversation and make him forget the whole thing, alright?" Jemma suggested. Fitz nodded as Jemma gave him a quick kiss and led him back to the table, where they sat down opposite Michael and Evelyn.

After the first few bites and the courteous exchanging of compliments, Evelyn spoke up.

"So Leo, I hear things are going well with you both -"

"- AT WORK." Michael finished, looking at Leo sharply, who blushed again.

"…Yes." Evelyn said, looking at her husband in confusion while Jemma gave the same expression to Fitz.

"Uh, yeah. T-Things are great. My boss is, uh, letting me be a bit more flexible with my working hours and my workflow so…yeah. Can't complain." Fitz chuckled awkwardly, shovelling more food into his mouth to prevent being asked any more questions.

"There's even talk of another promotion on the horizon for this one." Jemma smiled proudly, playfully leaning against Fitz briefly.

"Oh, very nice! Can never argue with more money. More to spend on gadgets or clothes! Maybe even little clothes…that fit little people…" Evelyn smirked, whispering the last part to Jemma.

"Have you finally given up on that ridiculous diet?" Michael asked. Jemma rolled her eyes as Fitz smiled.

"You sound like Leo." Jemma shook her head.

"I told you from the start you didn't need to go on a diet." Fitz stated.

"Blah, blah. Anyway, yes I have. Though I do intend to keep active. We're thinking about investing in some equipment and turning the spare room into a gym." Jemma explained.

"I didn't know you had a spare room." Michael commented.

"Well, it hasn't always been a spare room. It was my room, but we obviously don't need two bedrooms now because we sleep together. I-I mean, we sleep together i-in the same room. Well, the same bed too, obviously, but…we don't…I mean, we _do_ …t-this is really nice, Jem." Fitz said, shoving more food into his mouth and keeping his fingers crossed he'd have a heart attack or get struck by lightning through the window in order to shut him up.

"…Thank you." Jemma said despite her shell-shocked exterior.

A long, _long_ silence.

"Excuse me." Fitz said quickly, getting up and rushing off to the bathroom and locking the door behind him. Jemma forced a grin and smiled at her parents before delicately getting up and going after Fitz. She knew his bathroom routine; he was regular like clockwork, and she knew this was just an escape plan.

Reaching the door, Jemma knocked on it gently.

"Leo?" She called softly.

"I'm fine, Jem." Fitz replied solemnly, slightly muffled through the wooden door.

"What are you doing in there?"

"Waiting for death."

"Come on, let me in." Jemma said.

"…You're not mad at me?"

"Of course not. Please?"

After a few moments, Fitz unlocked the door. Jemma waited a few moments then let herself in, smirking at the sight of her boyfriend sat on the bathroom floor leaning against the tiled wall.

"You break those tiles and I'll kill you without hesitation." Jemma smiled.

"My head's not that sharp." Fitz sighed, looking down.

"No, it's very, very blunt." Jemma grinned. Fitz looked up at her desperately.

"Don't laugh at me, this isn't funny." He sighed. Jemma sat down next to him.

"How do you find this comfortable?" Jemma wondered, leaning slightly forward to prevent her head touching the tiles.

"We lived in another house for a few years before I met you; mum and dad went for a viewing, mum adored it and dad hated it, so obviously we bought it." Fitz began. Jemma laughed a little at Fitz's memory before allowing him to continue.

"There was this stone wall surrounding it; I used to sit against it just like this when it was nice outside, watch the clouds go by or the dog go nuts chasing a ball in the garden. I even did it at night sometimes; just stare up at the stars until I fell asleep. Got used to the feeling, I guess. Good old days." Fitz smiled.

"That sounds lovely."

"The innocence of youth. The days before I made a right fool of myself in front of my girlfriend's parents. I said I'd do that, didn't I?"

"You're just nervous, Leo. And nervous for no reason, might I add." Jemma said.

"…I just wanted them to have a good first impression." Fitz said.

"Leo, they had a great first impression of you ten years ago. You know, when you _actually_ met them for the first time? They love you, you fool." Jemma said, resting her head on Fitz's shoulder.

"That was 'best friend Leo', they met 'boyfriend Leo' for the first time today and it turns out he's a right knob."

"No, he's not. He's an adorable, frightened little puppy." Jemma teased.

"It's not funny, Jem!"

"Leo, they know you. They understand you. They know how you can be when you get nervous. If not, we can just tell them you're off your face on alcohol." Jemma smirked and Fitz let a small smile creep across his face.

"There's that cute little smile. If it makes you feel any better, imagine how terrified I'll be when I next see your mum in person." Jemma said.

"That's true. You'll be even worse than me." Fitz smiled.

"Exactly. Come on." Jemma ordered, taking Fitz's hand and leading him out of the bathroom and back to the dinner table, where Michael and Evelyn had polished off their food.

"Blimey, you ate that fast!" Jemma stated as she and Fitz sat back down.

"It's divine, Jemma! I can't wait for pudding." Evelyn exclaimed.

"Pudding's the best." Fitz and Michael stated at exactly the same time. They looked at one another and shared a smile.

"I'm, uh, sorry about before. You know how I can be." Fitz blushed.

"Don't worry, Leo. All of your quirks are why you're so interesting. I couldn't cope with these dinners when Jemma brought home some dull, monotone boy from school." Evelyn explained.

"They weren't boring!" Jemma argued.

"Love, they made Antiques Roadshow look like Robot Wars." Michael chuckled.

"Still, I am sorry." Fitz stated.

"…Let's just forget about it, eh? I guess it's still bewildering to me, really; seeing my little girl enter a relationship that will actually last." Michael said.

Jemma blushed as she quickly glanced at Fitz, who was smiling at her.

"What is for pudding, Jem?" Evelyn asked impatiently.

"Chocolate soufflé, mum." Jemma said and Evelyn's face lit up.

"This is why you're my favourite child." Evelyn grinned.

"I'm your only child, mum."

"I know, but still."

"Can you remember the first time Leo stayed over for tea at our house? We were all sat just like we are now. Back then I could still see over the top of your heads across the table. And here we are now; nothing changes." Michael reminisced.

"Except now Leo's sleeping with our daughter." Evelyn said bluntly.

There was a short silence before Evelyn burst out laughing, and everyone soon joined her.

…

After a pretty successful evening, Jemma's parents left Jemma and Fitz in peace. The two efficiently cleaned the apartment before collapsing onto the couch.

"…I actually had fun in the end." Fitz smiled.

"I told you it wouldn't be disastrous." Jemma said.

"Well, it almost was."

"But as ever, we powered through."

"We certainly did." Fitz grinned as Jemma leant across the couch and kissed him.

"Tea?" Jemma asked, standing up. Fitz pulled her back down, standing up himself.

"I'll make it. You've been slaving away all day." Fitz said, heading for the kettle.

"Okay, what is it you want?" Jemma asked teasingly.

"World peace. And sex." Fitz smirked.

"You can have one or the other." Jemma smiled.

"I'm sure the world will sort itself out." Fitz grinned, making Jemma laugh.

"So, since my parents have met 'boyfriend Leo' I think your mum needs to meet 'girlfriend Jemma' as soon as possible." Jemma said as Fitz began making the cups of tea.

"Really?"

"Really. We keep wasting time; I'm not ashamed of being with you and your mum loves me." Jemma said.

"Yeah, more than me." Fitz chuckled.

"You said it, not me." Jemma smiled cheekily.

"I'm just surprised after the way I was tonight that you'd be up for it being your turn to freak out so soon." Fitz noted.

"I was earlier, but once everything settled down something just clicked. I love the honeymoon phase of any relationship, but for the first time I'm with someone where I'm excited for every other stage too." Jemma said nervously.

"Who's that then?" Fitz teased as he brought the tea over.

"Just this prick I've been sleeping with from work." Jemma retaliated.

"I'll pour this over you, Jemma Simmons."

"I'd like to see you try, Leopold Fitz."

Fitz handed Jemma a mug of tea and sat gently down next to her. They both took a sip and placed their mugs on the table in front of them in perfect unison.

"I'm excited too." Fitz said.

"About what?"

"All the other stages."

"...You've actually thought about that? The future?" Jemma blushed.

"Of course I bloody have. It's you." Fitz smiled. Jemma swooned at her boyfriend's words and took his hand in hers.

"You were more than worth the wait, you know that?" She asked.

"You were too." Fitz replied.

"…So, thinking about our future? You must think this is pretty serious too." Jemma grinned.

"Well, yeah. I wouldn't think about my future with someone unless I -"

Fitz stopped short of saying it. He practically felt the air leave Jemma's lungs.

"…Unless I…"

"…Leo, what are you trying to say?" Jemma asked, hopeful. Fitz looked at her with his big blue eyes and smiled in the way he reserved just for her.

"You know what I'm trying to say."

Jemma couldn't hold back a short, sweet little smile.

"…Well, uh…don't say it here." Jemma said.

"…What?"

"Don't say it here. It should be somewhere special, not here." Jemma said.

"What, the couch? Where we've quite literally done everything else?" Fitz questioned.

"It's just that -"

"- I love you."

Jemma felt tears forming in her eyes as soon as the words left Fitz's mouth. She beamed.

"I'm sick of holding it in. I love you. And as for somewhere special? My definition of somewhere special is anywhere I'm with you. Is that romantic enough?" Fitz asked with a smile. Jemma laughed through her tears of joy, nodding her head furiously.

"I love you too." Jemma said, grabbing Fitz's collar and pulling him in for another passionate kiss.

"Finish your tea. I'm going to switch off the alarm clock." She added the instant their lips parted, standing up.

"Why?" Fitz asked.

"Because we won't need it. We won't be getting any sleep tonight." Jemma smirked.

"…You mean…?"

"I'll get my workout outfit."

"And I'll get my Village People outfit." Fitz grinned.

"Get all of it." Jemma said.

"The toolbox too?"

"No, Leo. _All of it_." Jemma whispered.

"Holy shit." Fitz said almost silently as he watched Jemma head into the bedroom.

"I'll see you in there." Jemma said seductively as she closed the door behind her. Fitz grabbed his tea and poured it down the sink before rushing into the spare room, where his Village People outfit was stored in a wardrobe. He quickly got changed rushed back out.

_All of it. Holy fuck. This is gonna be a hell of a night._

Fitz looked around the room, trying to recall everything he'd need. He grabbed two magazines from the coffee table, batteries, the ice cream scoop, a wine glass, an electric drill, a notepad and Jemma's handbag.

Enthusiastically, Fitz headed towards the bedroom.

"Shit! Almost forgot." He whispered to himself, reaching down to the coffee table and adding two coasters to the pile in his arms. In a swift motion he kicked the bedroom door open and turned away from it, slowly backing into the room humming "Y.M.C.A." as Jemma giggled.

With another kick, the door slammed shut and the next stage in the story of Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons began. And it couldn't be anything but special, because they were together.

They certainly had taken their bloody time, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And that's it.
> 
> I've loved writing this story and I'm glad so many of you loved it too. I'm really sorry that it's taken so long to finish it, but in early June we unexpectedly lost my nan to cancer. It all happened so quickly and I'm still trying to deal with it. Luckily, there is always a light in the darkness where Fitzsimmons are concerned. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, commenting and leaving kudos; they mean so much and I'll hopefully be back with some new works soon!


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